Former Australia left-hander Mike Hussey will captain a Prime Minister’s XI against England during their World Cup preparations in January.
The annual match at the Manuka Oval in Canberra will be the second of England’s two warm-up games before they begin their tri-series campaign versus Australia four days later at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
“It’s a tremendous honour to be selected to captain the Prime Minister’s XI,” said Hussey.
“Having played in the Prime Minister’s XI before, I know how important this fixture is on the Australian cricketing calendar, and it is a great tradition.
“In the past two years Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee have been captains of the team, so it’s humbling to follow in the footsteps of two icons of Australian cricket.”
Hussey, 39, was speaking at the official launch, attended by Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott, for a match England convincingly won by 172 runs earlier this year.
Half-centuries from Gary Ballance and Jos Buttler helped England post 264 for eight, before Ravi Bopara returned extraordinary figures of 4-3 as the hosts were bowled out for 92.
The Prime Minister's XI will, however, be bolstered for the January 14 day/night match by the inclusion of World Cup-winner Hussey, who was infamously dubbed 'Mr Cricket' during a career in which he scored 5,442 runs at an average of 48.15 in 185 ODIs.
The rest of the team is set to be announced in the coming weeks with selection to be determined by Cricket Australia’s national selection panel with input from the Prime Minister.
England will meet Australia and India during the following tri-series before their World Cup opener against Michael Clarke's side on Valentine's Day at the MCG.