MELBOURNE, Nov 28: Ricky Ponting will take over as Australia’s 42nd Test captain when Steve Waugh retires in January.

Cricket Australia chairman Bob Merriman said on Friday the board had decided to make the announcement early so that speculation about the new skipper would not overshadow Waugh’s farewell series.

He also announced that wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist had been appointed vice-captain.

Merriman said: “Given the strong public interest in the issue, we thought it would be prudent to avoid any unnecessary speculation and distraction throughout the summer by making this announcement today.”

Ponting, who replaced Waugh as Australian one-day skipper almost two years ago, said he was honoured to be given the job.

“The one-day captaincy has given me a valuable insight into the characteristics required to be a successful leader and I’m confident I can transfer these skills across to the test arena,” he said.

Waugh, who announced on Wednesday he would be retiring after the four-Test series with India ends in January, said: “I’ve always regarded Ricky as an outstanding leader.

“He’s been a very good captain in one-day cricket and an impressive deputy at Test level. His promotion to Test captain seems the logical move.”

Australia’s cricket-loving Prime Minister John Howard said in a statement: “Ricky Ponting is a fine player whose great tactical understanding of the game will prove invaluable in his new challenge.

“His batting ability has been a strong factor in the success of the Australian side in recent years. All Australian cricket lovers will give him their support when he assumes the captaincy.”

Merriman said: “Stephen has been Australia’s most successful captain in Test cricket and he has certainly left the game in better shape than when he started his international career 18 seasons ago.”

Ponting was the obvious successor to Waugh after leading Australia to 43 victories in 54 matches as one-day captain including an unbeaten run through this year’s World Cup.

A brilliant top-order batsman, Ponting’s hopes of ascending to the captaincy seemed to be in jeopardy a few years ago when he was involved in some off-field indiscretions.

But the 28-year-old said he matured both as a cricketer and a person and was now ready to take on the responsibilities of the captaincy.

“I’ve learnt a lot about leadership having played under Stephen for many years now and I feel well equipped to take on what is undoubtedly one of the highest honours in Australian sport,” he said.

Ponting’s first assignment will be to lead the team on their tour of Sri Lanka starting in February.—Reuters