After coming through at his native Yorkshire where he won the Championship in 2014 and 2015, Lees moved north during the 2018 season.

His form for Durham was good enough to earn him a Test call-up and he made his debut for England in March 2022.

He played 10 Tests across that year, with a best of 67, before he returned to the county ranks.

However, he has flourished since then. In 2023, he scored more 1,300 runs and hit five centuries as Durham won the Second Division to secure promotion with Lees named as the County Championship Player of the Season.

While he hit 921 runs and another four hundreds last summer as the county re-established themselves in the top tier.

Now, as well as continuing to open the batting and rack up runs, Lees is tasked with improving on the fifth-place finish achieved last season.

“This opportunity to captain Durham gives me a chance to put some real focus into the red-ball team, building on the foundations that we have built over the last few years,” he said.

“Scott did a fantastic job over the last four seasons and I think getting promoted back to Division One is huge credit to him.

“Now is about building on the good stuff we have done over the last few years and taking it forward giving us that extra 10% to go on and challenge for trophies.”