In the wake of regular Melbourne Stars captain Glenn Maxwell suffering a broken leg, the team has announced Adam Zampa as his replacement for the upcoming season.
The Australian leg spinner began at the Stars in 2015 and eventually became their all-time leading wicket-taker with 82.
Throughout his career, the 31-year-old has also represented his country in ODI and T20I cricket 148 times, becoming a mainstay as Australia's white-ball spinner.
Talking to the Melbourne Stars website, Zampa spoke about fighting for the title and the importance of Marcus Stoinis as his vice-captain.
"It's an honour to lead the Melbourne Stars in Glenn's absence and I look forward to helping get the best out of this group," he said.
"Our Stars journey won't be complete without a BBL title and we're throwing everything into this season to achieve that.
"I'm so excited to be playing alongside Trent Boult and Luke Wood for the first time along with Joe Clarke again this year.
"With the help of Marcus as vice-captain, I can't wait to lead this group and we want to see as many of our fans at the MCG as possible on Friday 16th December at the MCG."
Being able to replace Maxwell with a player of Zampa's quality is not something every Big Bash team can do, a sentiment Stars general manager Blair Crouch expressed to the team website.
"Obviously Glenn is a huge loss for us but to have someone of Adam's calibre to be able to step in is a testament to the strength of our squad," Crouch said.
"Adam has grown into a wonderful player with the Stars but most importantly, he is a great person and has been part of the leadership group for a number of years."
Zampa will lead his side for the first time in the BBL12 opener against the Sydney Thunder on December 13 as he looks to lead the side to their maiden championship.
