Smith to captain Middlesex

Ed Smith © Getty Images

Middlesex have announced that former England batsman Ed Smith will be their new captain for the 2007 season after Ben Hutton stepped down in September this year.

Middlesex secretary and chief executive Vinny Codrington said: “Having conducted an extensive review of all aspects of our cricket, and following a thorough interview process, we have chosen Ed from a list of strong candidates.

“We are confident that Ed will be at the forefront of a revival in our fortunes, and he is committed to leading us back to where we belong.”

Smith added: “I have always regarded Middlesex as a great club. It is a real honour to be invited to captain.

“I’ll be giving it everything I have. We have a talented group of players and I am very much looking forward to us playing attractive and successful cricket in 2007 and beyond.”

Middlesex have signed Chaminda Vaas and Murali Kartik as overseas players for next season and Richard Johnson has also moved to Lord's from Somerset.

Smith played three Tests in 2003 against South Africa and has published two books on cricket.