Sutherland to lead Australia A after being named Victoria's new Shield skipper
Written by I Dig SportsVictoria have made the last two Shield finals under Handscomb but have fallen short twice against Western Australia. Handscomb, who will continue to lead Victoria's 50-over Marsh Cup team, believes it is the right time to hand over the Shield role.
"Will is a tremendous leader and has all the right attributes to succeed as a captain," Handscomb said. "I have absolutely loved leading Victoria in the Sheffield Shield, but it's now Will's time to take our side forward.
"I'm still excited to be captaining our One-Day side and will be doing everything I can to support Will and the rest of the squad, both on and off the field."
Sutherland was full of praise for Handscomb and thrilled to get the opportunity to lead his state.
"Pete has been a fantastic captain for us and has been incredibly supportive of me taking on this responsibility," Sutherland said. "It's an honour to captain Victoria. I loved the chance I had to captain the side last season while Pete was in India and am looking forward to taking on the challenge this season.
"Knowing I have the support of Pete, Chris Rogers and the rest of the coaching and playing group fills me with a lot of confidence and I can't wait to get started."
Australia A 50-over squad: Will Sutherland (capt), Ollie Davies, Liam Hatcher, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Matt Short, Mark Steketee, Ashton Turner