World Cup winner Mitchell Johnson has picked enigmatic allrounder Glenn Maxwell as his captain for Australia's defence of their 2015 crown at this year's tournament in England.

Maxwell, who leads Melbourne Stars in the KFC Big Bash, impressed Australia coach Justin Langer in the No.7 'finisher' role throughout the recently-concluded Gillette ODI series against India, and the Victorian looms as a key figure in the national side's World Cup defence, which begins against Afghanistan in Bristol on June 1.

Johnson was a teammate of Maxwell's at the 2015 World Cup, when the big-hitting batsman was a standout performer in the tournament, while the pair also played together in the Indian Premier League.

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"My decision to pick Glenn Maxwell as captain might raise eyebrows," Johnson wrote 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.

"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.

"More importantly, Maxwell is a cricket tragic who loves the game and thinks deeply about it.

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"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 … particularly with planning such as fielding positions for certain players. He knows opposition players very well and he doesn't forget much.

"He reads the game well and that's essential for a captain.

"Maxi is not a leader who will just let things roll on, either. He thinks outside the square. He is 30 now and knows the game inside out."

Johnson believes the elevation of Maxwell to the captaincy would also take some pressure off incumbent skipper Aaron Finch, who has struggled for runs throughout the Australian summer, while he also made the bold calls to leave out injured paceman Josh Hazlewood and current vice-captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey from his squad altogether.

"Hazlewood hasn't played a lot of one-day cricket in recent times and I decided the five quicks I selected provided the best balance," he continued.

"I've made another big call with the wicketkeeping position and opted to overlook incumbent gloveman and vice-captain Alex Carey. Carey is an excellent 'keeper, however, I remain unconvinced about his batting.

"He has been opening the batting, but that will not be required should Warner be picked after his 12-month suspension.

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"D'Arcy Short is also a more appealing option for me at the top of the order.

"Handscomb offers a great package as the specialist 'keeper. He is batting well in the shorter formats and I don't see giving him the gloves as a compromise.

"His Victorian teammates rate his keeping and he wouldn't have to juggle the job with batting high in the order and could instead add depth at No.7."

Australia are set for ODI tours of India in February and the UAE (for matches against Pakistan) in March-April as they gear up for the World Cup following a challenging run of four wins from their past 24 completed matches.

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