Crawley takes the helm at Hampshire

It was always known that Hampshire would have a new captain this season, but now it has been confirmed that John Crawley will be the man to do the job. Originally, Hampshire had hoped to have Shane Warne as their captain, but the Australian's one-year ban for a drugs offence left the county without a captain until Crawley's appointment.

Crawley, a 31-year-old who joined Hampshire for last season after an acrimonious departure from Lancashire, captained Lancashire from 1999 until 2001, leading the county to the National League title in his first year. Now he takes over from Robin Smith who retired from the post after five years in charge.

Looking back at his previous time as a county captain, Crawley said: "I had three great years as Lancashire captain, except the last few weeks when it all went wrong. I am sure I have learned from that."

Crawley has scored nearly 18,000 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 47.41. He has played 37 Tests for England, the most recent being the successful fifth Test against Australia at Sydney on the recent Ashes tour when he featured in a vital 92-run stand for the sixth wicket with Alec Stewart. He then marshalled the tail to finish with an important 35 not out.

He will not have an official vice-captain. With former captain Smith in his side and his deputy, Will Kendall, still around, there is no shortage of experienced players to offer Crawley advice and fill in for him should the need arise.