Retired quick Mitchell Johnson has named allrounder Glenn Maxwell as his captain for Australia's defence of their 2015 World Cup crown.
While the big-hitting batsman's latest white-cricket cameo against India should have ended the debate about his place in the Australia's one-day team, Johnson's nomination - while left-of-field - isn't entirely unexpected.
Batting at No.7, Maxwell's hit of 48 from 37 balls in Australia's six-wicket loss to India last week just goes to show that the 30-year-old is back in peak condition.
Combined with Shaun Marsh's outstanding score of 131, the partnership helped Australia reach 9-298 at Adelaide Oval.
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Not only was Maxwell was a standout performer in Australia's 2-1 series loss to India last week, but the 30-year-old also blasted out centuries during the 2015 World Cup.
"My decision to pick Glenn Maxwell as captain might raise eyebrows," Johnson wrote in a column for Perth Now.
"But having played with him both for Australia and in the Indian Premier League, I can say that this polarising cricketer is misunderstood.
"He might not be your typical first-choice captain, though clearly Melbourne Stars have seen something in Maxwell. Leadership has helped him mature, helped to settle him and bring the best out of him."
The Victorian all-rounder has taken on captaincy with the Melbourne side after the Stars landed the wooden spoon in last year's Big Bash season.
The Stars have gone from strength to strength since Maxwell took over as captain, winning three consecutive matches under his leadership.
Maxwell also took the reigns of IPL team Kings XI Punjab in 2017, when the Twenty20 side narrowly missed out on making the finals.
"I think we need our sportsmen to have a certain presence and have the confidence to give their opinion in a team environment and he definitely does that," Johnson continued.
"More importantly, Maxwell is a cricket tragic who loves the game and thinks deeply about it.
"I spent a lot of time with Maxwell in the IPL at both Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab and he was always very vocal in team meetings.
"The IPL was where he played a significant tactical role, particularly with planning such as fielding positions for certain players. He knows opposition players very well and he doesn’t forget much.
"Even in game situations, he would sometimes have a quiet word to the captain and suggest a different way we could go about things.
"He reads the game well and that’s essential for a captain."
Johnson believes that Maxwell's rise to captaincy would also take pressure off under-fire skipper Aaron Finch, who totalled just 26 runs in Australia's three-match ODI series against India.
Mitchell Johnson's Australia squad for 2019 World Cup: Glenn Maxwell (c), Usman Khawaja (vc), Aaron Finch, David Warner, D'Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb (wk), Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, AJ Tye, Adam Zampa