Australia named fast bowler Pat Cummins as their Test captain and Steve Smith as deputy on Friday after Tim Paine quit the post last week, just ahead of the Ashes.
On a dramatic day for Australian cricket, Cummins' appointment came hours after it was announced that former captain Paine will take a break from the sport, ruling him out of the home Ashes series against England.
Cummins becomes the 47th captain of the Australian men's Test team while Smith returns to a key leadership role, having been forced to stand down as skipper for his part in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
Cummins, 28, is the first fast bowler to lead Australia since 1956.
After Paine's exit, Cummins knows that there will be intense scrutiny of his behaviour on and off the field, especially with the Ashes starting on December 8 in Brisbane.
"When it comes to moral character, I am my own harshest judge," said Cummins, who takes on one of the highest-profile roles in Australia.
"I am not perfect and there will be things that pop up, but as long as I can sleep at night, I am really comfortable with the rest of that."
Cummins is one of the world's premier bowlers. His 34 Tests have yielded 164 wickets at 21.59, to go with 111 ODI scalps and 42 in T20s.
But he has little experience as a leader, despite being elevated to vice-captain in 2019.
Cummins, who described himself as "excited rather than nervous", said that he will be drawing heavily on the experience of Smith, 32.
Smith will have "a bit more of an elevated vice-captain role", Cummins told reporters.
Smith acknowledged that "there will be some negativity" surrounding his return to the leadership fold, but added: "I am a more rounded individual [than back in 2018] and in turn that's turned me into a better leader".
Earlier on Friday, Cricket Tasmania said that the 36-year-old Paine would immediately leave all forms of the game for the "foreseeable future".
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
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Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
