All-round Hardie adds another string to his bow

Having long been identified as a future leader of Western Australia, Aaron Hardie takes his first steps towards leading his country tomorrow when he takes the reins of Australia A for the second match of their New Zealand tour.

The WA allrounder takes over from Nathan McSweeney after the South Australian batter led the on-field manoeuvres during the tour's opening first-class fixture in Lincoln last weekend.

Both players have been earmarked by the National Selection Panel as leaders of the future having already "demonstrated numerous leadership attributes including humility, great work ethic and high cricket intelligence" throughout the early stages of their careers.

McSweeney came up short in the first four-day match as the Kiwis chased down 365 on the final day following an attacking declaration to try and force a result on a batter-friendly surface, but Hardie is hoping this weekend's pitch offers a bit more assistance to his bowlers who will again be armed with the Dukes ball.

And while he admits his "pump up speeches" as school footy skipper were "certainly no good", Hardie is no stranger to captaincy duties having led WA at under-17, under-19 and second XI level.

He also captains his club side Willetton in Premier Cricket when not playing state cricket and has been part of the WA leadership group for the past few years where he's had the opportunity to learn from the likes of Mitch and Shaun Marsh, Ashton Turner and Sam Whiteman, who have been at the front of building Western Australia's domestic dynasty.

"They wanted someone under the age of 25 in the leadership group just to be able to connect with those younger players," Hardie told cricket.com.au on Friday ahead of the second four-day match.

"It's pretty cool being able to be a part of the leadership group from a young age and listening to the behind-the-scenes values and behaviours that (drive WA cricket).

"I certainly did a lot of captaincy when I was younger, it feels like I haven't done it for a little while … when you make your way into those senior teams and don't have the captaincy tag.

"I wouldn't say I have fully developed my leadership philosophy just yet, I think it's still a work in progress.

"But I'm trying to learn from all those senior boys who are all very good and very different captains in their own respect.

"Whether it's WA or for the Perth Scorchers (in the future), I've always enjoyed captaining.

"I feel like it just increases the role you play in the game. So as an allrounder I love batting and bowling and contributing to the game, so if you can captain as well and have that strategy involvement in the game as well, I certainly enjoy that challenge."

But while he might have the captaincy tag next to his name for the second match, the 24-year-old is also approaching the challenge as an opportunity to learn from his Australia A teammates.

"I can learn lots off the other blokes and get ideas from different states around how they go about certain tactics throughout the game," said Hardie.

"My form of leadership is asking the players what they want … setting fields for bowlers, I'll sort of leave it in their court and help them with ideas.

"I think one of the most important things as a captain is making sure the bowlers are happy with their plans and clear with their plans.

"Fortunately, we've got a lot of experience on this tour and I think there's a few younger pace bowlers who have played enough cricket that they know their plans pretty clearly now."

One bowler Hardie won't have at his disposal is himself, as he tours New Zealand as a batter only while he manages an ongoing back issue that limited the overs he could bowl during the second half of the Marsh Sheffield Shield season.

And while he admits he didn't have his best season with the bat in Shield cricket, he's at a stage in his career where he is able to be picked solely on his batting and bowling abilities.

His form with the bat at No.3 for the Perth Scorchers in KFC BBL|12 was outstanding, finishing the tournament as the competition's leading run-scorer with 460 at 41.81.

"I've loved being able to lock down a position with the bat," he said.

"I loved batting at three this year in the Big Bash but in red-ball cricket I think four, five or six is a bit more realistic if I'm going to be bowling big overs as well.

"I've certainly enjoyed batting five (for WA and Australia A). It means you get to come in a bit earlier and you do get that opportunity to spend a lot of time out in the middle and bat big.

"I didn't quite make the most of all my opportunities this season but hopefully this week and going into next season, I'll be able to do that."

New Zealand A v Australia A series

First four-day match: New Zealand A won by three wickets

Second four-day match: April 8-11, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln

Both matches will be live streamed on nzc.nz.

Australia A squad: Wes Agar, Xavier Bartlett, Jordan Buckingham, Aaron Hardie, Caleb Jewell, Spencer Johnson, Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney, Mitch Perry, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Tim Ward, Teague Wyllie

New Zealand A squad: Tom Bruce (c), Adi Ashok, Doug Bracewell, Henry Cooper, Jacob Duffy (Game 1 only), Dean Foxcroft, Cam Fletcher, Mitch Hay, Scott Kuggeleijn, Cole McConchie, Robbie O'Donnell, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Brett Randell, Sean Solia