Stephen Fleming replaces McCullum as England Test coach, Joe Root returns as captain

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday confirmed the appointment of Joe Root as the next Test captain. The legendary batter, who is chasing Sachin Tendulkar's record in the longest format, now succeeds Ben Stokes, who retired from international cricket earlier this year. The England hierarchy, comprising Robert Key, the Managing Director, had the option of giving the Test captaincy to Harry Brook, who earlier served as the deputy to Stokes, but decided against it, leaving the young batter in charge of the white-ball formats.

Joe Root replaces Ben Stokes as England's Test captain (Action Images via Reuters)

Moreover, the ECB also confirmed the appointment of former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming as the Test head coach. Earlier this year, he stepped down as the head coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after 18 years with the franchise.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining England as Test Coach. It’s one of the most prestigious coaching positions in world cricket, and I am honoured to be appointed. I am looking forward to working with the players and bedding in the gains made by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. Of course, the ambition is always to win now. But equally, it’s about ensuring the team is well-placed for the medium- and long-term future. There is a lot of young talent in and around the team, and our aim is to help them fulfil their potential as world-class cricketers," Fleming said in an official statement.