Joe Root has been appointed the new vice-captain of the England Test team.

The 24-year-old will now assist skipper Alastair Cook instead of Ian Bell, who had held the position, starting with the two-Test series against New Zealand later this month.

"It's the right time for Joe Root to take more of a leadership position. I've asked him to be vice-captain of the Test team," England's new director of cricket Andrew Strauss told Sky Sports News.

"He's got outstanding leadership capabilities and we need him to start thinking more as a captain.

"That is in no way a reflection of the job that Ian Bell has done, he's been excellent in that role by all accounts, but it's time for Joe to step up."

From his 25 Test appearances, Root has scored 2,090 runs at an average of 55.