Rachael Haynes will lean on injured captain Meg Lanning during the women's Ashes, but the batter has already made her own mark as stand-in skipper of Australia.
Haynes will lead her side during the showpiece series that starts in Brisbane on October 22, with Lanning ruled out after shoulder surgery.
The 30-year-old was given the job ahead of vice-captain Alex Blackwell, as was the case when Lanning missed games during this year's World Cup in England.
Haynes suggested Lanning, widely regarded as the world's best player, is a huge loss but will still mentor the squad throughout a contest that includes the first ever women's day-night Test at North Sydney Oval.
But she also outlined at Wednesday's announcement the importance of taking ownership of the team.
"When you're leading you have to. If you do it half-hearted, people see through it," Haynes told reporters in Sydney.
"I've got a lot of respect for Meg and Al (Blackwell) and the foundation they've laid but I think for me to successfully lead the team, I need to be clear about what I stand for as a leader.
"Both Meg and Al have been very supportive of that."
Australia will start favourites in the three-format series decided via a points system.
That was also the case during this year's World Cup, when they stumbled at the semi-final stage and hosts England triumphed.
Haynes' side assembled in Brisbane for a pre-Ashes training camp last week, with the caretaker captain leading a no-nonsense discussion among the group. There were a few home truths.
"I was pretty clear with them in terms of my expectations and where I see us improving," Haynes said.
"The great thing about that camp was we sat down and were really clear about what we stood for as a team, and what we really wanted to focus on improving.
"It was great to be part of. People were very honest and we saw some really good changes as well, even in that week."
Haynes, who has played 66 games for Australia, wasn't ready to make any outlandish pre-series predictions.
"It's going to be a really tough series involving the two best teams in world cricket," she said.
Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland was full of praise for Haynes, noting the board was comfortable adopting the recommendation of selectors.
"She's an experienced captain. Very calm and a very strong tactician, all of those qualities are important," Sutherland said.
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