Warwickshire: Varun Chopra appointed new county captain

Varun Chopra led the Bears to victory in the T20 Blast final on their home ground at Edgbaston in August

Warwickshire have appointed Varun Chopra as their new county captain following the retirement of Jim Troughton because of a back injury.

Chopra, 27, has stood in for the Bears as skipper for most of the past season and a half - since Troughton first suffered his injury last summer.

And he has now been confirmed in the role ahead of Saturday's One-Day Cup final against Durham at Lord's.

Chopra lifted the trophy when the Bears won the T20 Blast last month.

An alternative candidate might have been Ian Bell, who has also deputised for Troughton in the past, and has long been expected to become Warwickshire captain one day.

But Bell is still centrally contracted by England and, at 32, likely to still have a lengthy international future ahead of him.

"Varun has done an outstanding job as vice-captain in deputising for Jim," said Warwickshire director of cricket Dougie Brown. "His captaincy credentials have been proven by the team's excellent results in recent months and he is the natural successor to lead the club.

"Whilst Jim's injury has resulted in his premature retirement from the game, he remains a key member of the team management as we prepare for at Lord's and approach our final County Championship match next week."

The Bears will go into their final Championship match, also against Durham at Edgbaston, 15 points clear of third-placed Notts, knowing that avoiding defeat with a good bonus points haul will ensure their third top-two finish in four seasons.