England Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed Joe Root as the new Test captain and Stephen Fleming as head coach, following the departures of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. Root, England's all-time leading run-scorer in Tests, previously captained the side in a record 64 matches between 2017 and 2022, winning 27 of them.

The 35-year-old returns to the role after Stokes retired from international cricket last month. Root will lead England in the three-Test home series against Pakistan starting August 19. "It is a great honour and privilege to be asked to be England men's Test captain again," Root said in a statement.

Root added: "The opportunity to work alongside Stephen is also a huge motivator. He has proved over a long period that he is an exceptional leader with great knowledge of the game." Root captained England in the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval this summer in Stokes' absence.

Fleming, 53, previously head coach of Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, takes charge of an England side looking to rebuild after poor results and off-field incidents that led to McCullum's dismissal. McCullum remains England's white-ball coach. Fleming played 111 Tests for New Zealand and captained the team.

Fleming said: "I'm incredibly excited to be joining England as Test Coach. It's one of the most prestigious coaching positions in world cricket. I'm particularly looking forward to working with Joe Root as captain – a generational talent." Fleming will start after the Pakistan series, with assistant coach Marcus Trescothick leading the side on an interim basis.

Source: www.aljazeera.com