Australia on Friday announced they are to retain Andrew Hilditch as chairman of selectors - despite their Ashes defeat.

Hilditch's re-engagement came on the day Cricket Australia also confirmed Michael Clarke will replace Ricky Ponting as their Twenty20 captain.

If Test and one-day international vice-captain Clarke's succession to Ponting following the latter's retirement from the shortest form of the game was an apparent formality, there was perhaps a little less certainty surrounding the future of the national selection panel after Australia's 2-1 defeat against England.

Hilditch and colleagues David Boon, Merv Hughes and Jamie Cox were criticised by some of their fellow former Australia cricketers over some of the decisions they made in England.

But immediately after Australia lost the urn for the second time in succession on tour, CA chief executive James Sutherland refused to blame Hilditch or the panel.

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Sutherland said: "Australia is a team in a rebuilding phase - but this country has many talented young cricketers, as illustrated by Australia's recent victory in the Champions Trophy. The national selection panel will continue to be led by Andrew Hilditch."

The futures of Boon, Hughes and Cox will be determined at a later date.

No such doubts, however, pertain to middle-order batsman Clarke - who was Australia's Twenty20 captain in Ponting's absence for two matches immediately after this year's Ashes.

With Cameron White as his vice-captain, his first major assignment will be next year's World Twenty20 in the West Indies.

He is looking forward to that challenge, armed with the knowledge he has gleaned from Ponting over the past five years.

"I've learnt a lot from Ricky Ponting over the last few years - and I'll continue to learn from him," Clarke predicted.

"I'm really excited to lead Australia in the newest form of the game."

Under Ponting, Australia were eliminated from the group stages of last summer's World Twenty20 in England without winning a match.

"We've got a young and enthusiastic group but we must recognise we've got a lot of work to do in Twenty20 cricket - and our recent form hasn't been good," Clarke conceded.

"Naturally, we'll target the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean next year - and I feel we have plenty of talent to genuinely mount a challenge in that tournament.

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"Cameron White will be an excellent deputy, and his recent form has been quite outstanding."

Ponting endorsed Clarke as his successor.

"Michael has continued to grow as a player and a leader," he said.

"We have developed a strong working relationship, and he has always led the team well in my absence. I am sure he will do a very good job with the Twenty20 team and I congratulate him and Cameron White on their appointments."

Sutherland added: "Michael has supported Ricky Ponting excellently in the last couple of years and has been successful when called upon to lead the Australia ODI team on occasion, most recently in England and the UAE.

"Michael will be supported in the Twenty20 vice-captaincy by Cameron White, whose leadership qualities have been to the fore in recent months and are currently on show at the Champions League Twenty20, where he is leading Victoria in that tournament."