Ben Stokes appointed as England Test captain

Star all-rounder Ben Stokes was named as England's new Test captain on Thursday, replacing Joe Root, who stood down earlier this month after a string of painful defeats.

The 30-year-old, who served as Root's deputy, was the overwhelming favourite to take charge of a struggling team that have won just one of their past 17 matches.

Stokes, whose career is peppered with staggering performances with bat and ball, has been a loyal lieutenant to Root and made a point of praising his friend and predecessor in a short statement.

"I am honoured to be given the chance to lead the England Test team," he said. "This is a real privilege and I'm excited about getting started this summer.

"I want to thank Joe 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."

Root resigned after five years in charge following a 1-0 series loss in the Caribbean, which came hot on the heels of a humiliating 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.

New managing director of England men's cricket Rob Key told Sky Sports that Stokes was the "obvious choice".

"I just think the time is right for him," Key said. "He's been a leader in that dressing room for a long, long time. He's been the one that people turned to a lot of the time.

"He's a strong leader, he's got a good cricketing brain. Everything he's done has got him to this point."

The former England batsman added: "He's got a hell of a lot of empathy as well.... All of those traits, as well as an outstanding cricket brain, make him the obvious choice."