Alex Davies named new Warwickshire captain

The 29-year-old opening bat replaces Will Rhodes, who stood down at the end of last summer after four years at the helm.

Davies has spent the past two seasons with the Bears after joining from Lancashire and captained the club to 10 wins in 11 matches in last season’s T20 Blast tournament.

He will now take the reins in the County Championship, though a decision on the T20 captaincy will be made once Moeen Ali’s England and franchise cricket commitments are known.

Davies said: “My overriding feeling is pride, It’s an honour captaining any club at any level, but to captain a club as big as Warwickshire is a huge privilege.

“Edgbaston has become home to me. I won’t be leaving anything out there on the pitch, I’ll give it my all.

“Taking the T20 reins last year has helped prepare me for the role, to really get to know the lads, their different characters and how they like to be dealt with on and off the field. That experience should stand me in good stead.

“I feel lucky captaining such a talented group of players; it’s an exciting time to take over. We were in the hunt for the County Championship for much of last summer and we dominated groups in both white ball comps.

“I want to keep that momentum going. I truly believe this squad has the potential to create a winning legacy at Warwickshire.”

Warwickshire performance director Gavin Larsen said: "I’m delighted that Al accepted the captaincy role.

"We’ve had a good preview of how he operates after he captained for most of the T20 last year. Al was successful, popular with players, communicated superbly, and worked collaboratively with the coaches.

“Al was always a strong candidate for captain given his vice captain experience last year. He certainly displayed all the right attributes to take over should the opportunity arise.

“The captain, ultimately, will only be as good as his team. What a good captain can do is bring out the best in his players and Al demonstrated that last summer in the Blast. He’s a people person, and will now be plotting how he can help to take this great club forward.”