Joe Root named England test captain: What's next?

As the ECB announced Joe Root as the successor to Alistair Cook as Test captain, and Ben Stokes replacing Root as vice-captain, a change of attitude at the top of English Cricket seems to have occurred.

Root, 26, seemed to be the natural choice to fans and former players and stepped up to take the job that most seemed to have had him penciled in for since his debut just four years ago.

But it's the choice of Stokes that signals the most change.

The mercurial all-rounder has been the source of controversy in his career so far, most notably with his feud with West Indian Marlon Samuels, but the selectors are now looking past that and selecting players based on their talent and passion towards the national side which is always a step in the right direction.

The newly appointed England test captain

But this new sense of duty may see the man mature into being a player as important as Freddie Flintoff was to Michael Vaughan in that '05 series or Sir Ian Botham was to Mike Brearley in '81.

After the dismal tour on the subcontinent which lead to Cook's resignation, England need to go into the home summer full of confidence if they are to stand any chance against the revitalized South African's and West Indian's before defending their Ashes crown in Australia next winter.

If Root is ever to be considered a success, he must win in the subcontinent. He will however, have plenty of time to prepare as England next tour Sri Lanka in 2018 - allowing himself over 20 test's to nail down his squad to deliver his side some success out there.

But after the poor showings of Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Zafar Ansari (before injury) and Liam Dawson he must look towards a new set of slow bowler's that can provide the control and wicket-taking ability of Graham Swann that both Cook and Andrew Strauss had use of.

There were calls of Joe Leach from Somerset to go to India and after a decent showing with the England Lions, early season wickets will only strengthen those calls and Root may feel he should have a larger say over the selection of the team he is to lead, but more faith in Moeen Ali could also pay off.

With Ali being treated with little regard as the lead spin bowler by Alistair Cook when England played at home, then being used as a 'filler' batsman, slotting in wherever the selectors and coaches felt they could use a specialist elsewhere. A vote of confidence in the man could bring about just rewards for Root's England side.

He will also be part of the conversation that decides on who will open the batting in the coming test summer. After the emergence of first Haseeb Hameed and then Keyton Jennings as opening partners, some have thought that both would fit into the side when fit, with Root dropping down to bat at four and Alistair Cook continuing his place at the top of the order, fresh without the burden of leadership.

With his appointment, Joe now joins Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith as part of the quartet widely considered to be the best four batsmen in the world, who now all captain their country in the longest format of the game.

As cricket changes around him, is Joe Root the man to take England back to the top as a Test XI? Will he be able to win in Australia where his only other experience is of a 5-0 Ashes whitewash and complete failure of a World Cup campaign?

Whatever happens, Root will be supported by his players, his coach and most importantly - the entirety of the English fan base. The future looks bright with Goldenboy in charge.