Australia have named seven-year-old Archie Schiller as their co-captain for the Boxing Day Test against India starting Wednesday, 26 December, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Schiller, a young cricket fan, was diagnosed with a rare heart condition when he was just three months old, and since then he has undergone multiple surgeries.
The news of his Test ‘call-up’ was announced last month when the team was playing the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE. He got the news about his inclusion from Australia head coach Justin Langer. Schiller also trained with the team ahead of the first Test in Adelaide.
Tim Paine, Australia’s current Test captain, made the official announcement during a Family Day event at Yarra Park on Sunday, 23 December.
“Obviously Arch has been through a really tough period and his family,” Paine said.
“When his dad asked him what he wanted to do, he said ‘I want to captain Australia’.
“I think it’s been picked up along the way and we’re [delighted] to have someone like that around. He adds a bit of perspective I think,” he added.
“Sometimes we live a life, it’s very good, but you can be consumed in your own life at times, so to have someone like that around is actually really inspiring for our group. It’s great to have him around and we look forward to his debut on Boxing Day.”
Australia squad: Tim Paine (c and wk), Archie Schiller (c), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Mitch Marsh (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc.
