Australia have announced the appointment of Aaron Finch as their new Twenty20 captain.
Finch replaces George Bailey, who stood down yesterday to concentrate on other forms of the game, and will lead the side for the first time when they take on Pakistan in Dubai on October 5.
The 27-year-old, who had a spell in county cricket with Yorkshire earlier this year, is the top-ranked batsman in the sprint format and has 18 T20 caps, averaging 41.25.
"Having the honour to captain your country in any form of the game is something that all young cricketers dream about," he said.
"It came as a big surprise but it was a very nice phone call to receive from Rod Marsh.
Thank you for all the great messages of support! Very honoured to be given an amazing opportunity to lead the country in T20!
— Aaron Finch (@AaronFinch5) September 8, 2014
"I never imagined when captaining in the past that it would lead to national responsibilities. I've just set out to be the best player that I can and luckily an opportunity like this has come my way.
"I have been fortunate enough to play under some fantastic captains, including Michael Clarke and George Bailey, and I have learnt a lot from them.
"It goes without saying that I will do my utmost in this role as we lead into the ICC World T20 in about 18 months' time. It's going to be very exciting."
The announcement came as Cricket Australia revealed the squads for the tour of the United Arab Emirates where the national team will face Pakistan in a single T20 International, three one-day internationals and two Tests.
Spinner Steve O'Keefe and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh have been named in the Test squad for the first time while Glenn Maxwell and Phil Hughes are also included.
Hughes will travel to the UAE earlier than the rest of the Test squad to work on his batting against spin with coaching consultant Muttiah Muralitharan.
Paceman Sean Abbott comes into the ODI squad for the first time while tweaker Cameron Boyce is named in the T20 party alongside paceman Pat Cummins, who last represented his country in October 2012.
Test squad: Michael Clarke (capt), Alex Doolan, Phil Hughes, Brad Haddin, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O'Keefe, Mitchell Johnson, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.
One-day international squad: Michael Clarke (capt), Sean Abbott, George Bailey, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.
Twenty20 squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Sean Abbott, Cameron Boyce, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.