The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Thursday that Joe Root will be England's next Test captain, while Stephen Fleming has been appointed as the team's new head coach.
Root succeeds Ben Stokes, who retired from international cricket in June after the conclusion of the three-match Test series against New Zealand. This will be Root's second stint as England's Test captain. He previously led the side between 2017 and 2022, captaining England in 65 Tests and winning 27 of them.
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The 35-year-old also served as the interim captain during the second Test against New Zealand after Stokes was left out of the squad following his involvement in a London nightclub incident.
Meanwhile, Fleming succeeds fellow New Zealander Brendon McCullum, who was relieved of his duties as England's Test coach earlier this month. McCullum, however, will continue as head coach of England's white-ball teams.
Before taking charge of England's Test side, Fleming spent 16 years as head coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The New Zealander was the coach for all of CSK's five IPL titles.
He also coached CSK's sister franchises, Joburg Super Kings and Texas Super Kings, before stepping down from all three roles on July 13.
Fleming will not immediately assume his new role as he is expected to spend time with his family. In his absence, assistant coach Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach for England's three-match Test series against Pakistan, which begins on Aug. 19.
The former New Zealand captain is expected to join the England setup later this summer, with his first assignment set to be the three-match away Test series against South Africa, beginning in late December.
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Root said working alongside Fleming would be a "huge honour", while Fleming described himself as "incredibly excited" to take on the role.
During his playing career, Fleming represented New Zealand in 111 Tests, 280 ODIs and five T20Is, scoring more than 15,000 international runs and 17 centuries across all three formats.
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