Star all-rounder Ben Stokes has been appointed England Test captain, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Thursday.
Stokes was the favourite to take over from Joe Root after the batsman stepped down from the position earlier this month; England had won just one of their previous 17 Tests, a run which included a 4-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia and a 1-0 series defeat in West Indies.
After former batsman Rob Key came in as the new managing director of English cricket, Stokes' appointment was expected to be round the corner.
“I am honoured to be given the chance to lead the England Test team. This is a real privilege, and I’m excited about getting started this summer," Stokes said.
“I want to thank Joe [Root] for everything he has done for English Cricket and for always being a great ambassador for the sport all across the world. He has been a massive part of my development as a leader in the dressing room, and he will continue to be a key ally for me in this role.”
Stokes, 30, has scored more than 5,000 runs and taken 174 wickets in his 79 Tests for England, making him clear favourite for the job.
"I am delighted that he has accepted, and he is ready for the added responsibility and the honour. He thoroughly deserves the opportunity," Key said in a statement.
"I had no hesitation in offering the role of test captain to Ben. He epitomises the mentality and approach we want to take this team forward into the next era of red-ball cricket."
Stokes, who was Root's deputy, took an indefinite break from cricket last year to focus on his well-being while also recovering from a second operation on a broken finger before he returned to the squad for the Ashes series.
England's next Test assignment is a two-match home series against New Zealand in June. The England board has also advertised for separate red-ball and white-ball coaches following Chris Silverwood's resignation in February.
There have been some concerns about the workload of Stokes, who is clearly England's most valuable player across formats. Star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was also appointed as captain during a similarly tumultuous time in English cricket but not only failed to revive the team but also saw his performance dip.
One of the biggest decisions for Stokes will be the fate of veteran fast bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad. The two were controversially dropped from the tour of the Caribbean and, in their absence, the bowling looked fairly toothless.
Key, who did not name a vice-captain immediately, also said that Broad and Anderson will remain part of the squad going forward.
He said: "Before it was announced that I was doing this job, I rang them up and said in my opinion they're both available for selection.
"I told them, 'I can't promise you're going to play but you're available' and Ben Stokes has been very clear he wants Jimmy and Broady to come back in.
"It will purely be done on what is the best XI to win a Test match and if they're in that – there's every chance they will be because they're very good bowlers – they will be."
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Leaderboard
64 - Gavin Green (MAL), Graeme McDowell (NIR)
65 - Henrik Stenson (SWE), Sebastian Soderberg (SWE), Adri Arnaus (ESP), Victor Perez (FRA), Jhonattan Vegas (VEN)
66 - Phil Mickelson (USA), Tom Lewis (ENG), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Ross Fisher (ENG), Aaron Rai (ENG), Ryan Fox (NZL)
67 - Dustin Johnson (USA), Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (ESP), Lucas Herbert (AUS), Francesco Laporta (ITA), Joost Luiten (NED), Soren Kjeldsen (DEN), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
68 - Alexander Bjork (SWE), Matthieu Pavon (FRA), Adrian Meronk (POL), David Howell (ENG), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR), Sean Crocker (USA), Scott Hend (AUS), Justin Harding (RSA), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Renato Paratore (ITA)
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Rio Angie, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Trenchard, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Mulfit, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Waady, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m. Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
