Alastair Cook has been charged with leading the England Test team through a tough-looking schedule in the next couple of years after Andrew Strauss announced his retirement.
Cook, who already skippers England in one-day internationals, has a series in India and back-to-back Ashes contests to plan for, with England 1/4 with bookmaker to retain the little urn on home soil next summer.
Strauss has opted to walk away after 50 Tests as captain and a career which has spanned 100 Tests in total following his debut against New Zealand in May 2004.
Confirming his decision, Strauss told the media: “The driver for me was my form with the bat and in truth I have not batted well for a long period of time now.
“It is important for a captain to not be a passenger and that people are not speculating whether you should be in the side.”
Strauss has called time on his professional cricket career as a whole, ending a first-class career which started with Middlesex in 1998.