TOM Smith has been appointed Lancashire’s new captain and Steven Croft as his vice-captain by cricket director and head coach Ashley Giles.

All-rounder Smith takes over from Glen Chapple, who has skippered the county since 2009, with the 41-year-old bowler winning the LV= County Championship in 2011.

Chapple is concentrating on his coaching role and while he is still expected to play, he will not feature in every match.

Smith, aged 29, was one of a number of candidates for the role, but the fact opening batsman Paul Horton is not a part of the leadership group is somewhat of a surprise.

He was Chapple’s vice-captain last year and skippered the team throughout their T20 Blast campaign, which ended in a final appearance.

Smith has only captained Lancashire seconds once in 2006, but he captained age-group teams and leads from the front with his cricket.

He was Lancashire’s leading Championship wicket-taker with 54 from 15 matches added to 773 runs last year.

“It is a tremendous honour for me to be appointed captain of the county I grew up supporting and have been lucky enough to play for,” said Chorley-based Smith.

“The Red Rose means so much to me, as it does to all our members and supporters, and I can assure everybody that I will lead our county to the best of my ability at all times.

“There have been some great captains of this club over the years, none more so than Glen Chapple, who I have learnt a great deal from – not just as a cricketer but also as a leader. I cannot wait to get started.”

Giles said: “Tom has all the right ingredients of a good leader. He is well respected, he plays all forms of the game, is a good professional, extremely mature and a good communicator.”