Ben Stokes is expected to be named England test captain later on Thursday, taking over from Joe Root.
Stokes, 30, has scored 5,061 runs and taken 174 wickets in 79 Tests and has been vice-captain in two spells since 2017.
mass root, 31, Under after five years in charge, having led England in a record 64 Tests.
Stokes’ first test as England’s permanent captain will be against world champions New Zealand at Lord’s on June 2.
Previously, he captained England to their first Test loss to the West Indies in 2020 when Root missed the match to attend the birth of his second child.
Stokes also led the one-day international squad to a 3-0 series victory over Pakistan last summer after a Covid outbreak forced England to name an entirely new team.
He took a break from cricket in July for his mental well-being and to allow a finger injury to heal, but returned to the England squad for the Ashes series.
Following England’s tour of the West Indies in March, Stokes has been suffering from soreness in his left knee but hopes to return to the County Durham side in May.
The new managing director of England men’s cricket, Rob Key, named Stokes as captain in his first major act since taking over from Andrew Strauss, who had stepped in on an interim basis following the sacking of Ashley Giles in February.
England are also in the process of filling their head coaching vacancy after Chris Silverwood was sacked in February following the Ashes’ 4-0 loss to Australia in the winter.
England plans to appoint separate coaches for the test and cue ball sides, a recent configuration change.
Root resigned as captain earlier this month, citing the “toll” the job took on him, after a 1-0 series loss to the West Indies.
England are winless in nine Tests and have only won one of their last 17 matches.
After three Tests against New Zealand in June, England face India in the rescheduled fifth Test in July, before three Tests against South Africa in August and September.
Stokes’ journey to trial captain
Stokes made his Test debut during the 2013–14 Ashes in Australia, with the left-handed batsman reaching his first Test century in his second match in Perth.
He missed the 2014 World Twenty20 with a broken hand hitting a locker on a tour of the West Indies, and subsequently went in and out of the England setup, missing the 2015 World Cup over 50.
He returned to hit the fastest Test century seen at Lord’s – 101 from 85 balls against New Zealand in 2015, before breaking England’s fastest double Test century against South Africa in January 2016.
The off-roader was named test vice-captain when Root took over the captaincy in 2017.
Stokes was arrested after a fight outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017, which led to him missing the 2017-18 Ashes in Australia and being stripped of the vice-captain. He was later found not guilty of a brawl and was reinstated as vice captain in July 2019.
In the summer of 2019, Stokes played two incredible innings, first rescuing England in the final of their Men’s World Cup victory and then producing a staggering 135 against Australia at the Ashes at Headingley. His performances saw him named BBC Sports Personality of the Year for December.
In 2020, Stokes missed England matches on compassionate leave and later that year his father Ged died after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
Stokes returned to England in the winter of 2020-21 but, after breaking his finger in the Indian Premier League and returning to captain a depleted team against Pakistan, he missed the entire series against India last summer after announcing a indefinite rest.
After returning, he had a tough Ashes series, hitting two fiftys and taking four wickets, but rediscovered his form with a brilliant century against the West Indies in March.