World Cup winning skipper Paul Collingwood will take charge of England 's Test tour to the West Indies later this month after agreeing to step up as interim head coach.
Collingwood was the recently departed Chris Silverwood's deputy, and had filled in as head coach on a temporary basis on the odd occasion the need arose such as in New Zealand for one match in 2019.
The 45-year-old is in fact still in the Caribbean having taken charge of the T20 squad that toured there in the immediate aftermath of the Ashes disappointment.
And after enjoying a break with his family, he will link up with the Test group in Antigua to try and give some structure and impetus to the red ball side.
Collingwood's obvious strengths may lie in white ball cricket where he became the first England captain to lift a global trophy back in 2010 when they claimed the T20 World Cup in the Windies.
But the former Durham batsman was a more than capable Test match cricketer, amassing more than 4000 runs across 68 matches during his career.
And as a player who made the most of his ability and opportunities, and showed the sort of fighting qualities that were often absent in Australia, he appears to be the perfect man to step up on an interim basis.
"I am genuinely excited to be leading the Test team for the tour of the Caribbean," said Collingwood. "I can't wait to get started.
"Having a challenging Test series against the West Indies straight off the back of the Ashes disappointment gives us a chance from now to reset and rebuild.
"Playing Test matches for England is the highest accolade in the game. My objective is to give players clarity, direction and encouragement for them to start building something special.
"I have spoken to Joe Root and Ben Stokes, and both are excited and passionate to take the team forward in this new cycle.
"Although they know it won't be easy, they have the desire and bravery to do things differently to ensure the team can prosper. We have an opportunity to get back on track."
Collingwood will be part of a selection panel that includes Sir Andrew Strauss who will pick a squad over the next 24 hours for the three match series that begins in Antigua on March 8th.
Current Young Lions head coach Richard Dawson is expected to form part of a new look coaching team for the tour with coaches Jon Lewis and Jeetan Patel being retained from the Ashes trip.
