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Michael Hussey to captain Prime Minister's XI

Michael Hussey will captain the Prime Minister's XI this summer when the team takes on England at Canberra's Manuka Oval on January 14

Michael Hussey will lead the Prime Minister's XI  •  Getty Images

Michael Hussey will lead the Prime Minister's XI  •  Getty Images

Michael Hussey will captain the Prime Minister's XI this summer when the team takes on England at Canberra's Manuka Oval on January 14. The selection of Hussey as captain follows the recent tradition of having a champion veteran in charge of the side; Ricky Ponting captained the Prime Minister's XI in 2012-13 and Brett Lee had the job against England last summer.
"It's a tremendous honour to be selected to captain the Prime Minister's XI," Hussey said. "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."
The match will be played four days before England's opening game in the tri-series also involving Australia and India. The rest of the side will be announced in the coming weeks.
"This summer of cricket is the biggest in Canberra's history, and the Prime Minister's XI match is a key element of that," James Sutherland, the CEO of Cricket Australia, said. "Last summer, more than 12,000 people poured through the gates for the match, so we urge all ACT and regional cricket fans to secure their tickets now to avoid missing out.
The prime minister also announced that the official charity partner for the match will be Stand Tall for PTS, which was founded by former Test fast bowler Tony Dell. The charity aims to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder.