Australian selectors on Tuesday dumped Aaron Finch as captain in favour of Steve Smith for the World Twenty20 which begins next month in India, while Peter Nevill replaces Matthew Wade as wicketkeeper.
Finch has been skipper since October 2014 but with Smith already captain of both the Test and one-day team, national selector Rod Marsh said it was the right time for him to now take over in the shorter format.
"Aaron Finch has done a very good job captaining Australia in T20 cricket. He will have benefited enormously from the leadership opportunity and will remain a highly-respected leader within the Australian squad," said Marsh.
A key surprise in the 15-man squad was the inclusion of Nevill, who is yet to play limited-overs cricket for Australia, but he was preferred to Wade whose recent form with the gloves and bat prompted the change.