Gary Ballance has been named as the new club captain for Yorkshire.

The 27-year-old, who has played in 21 Test matches for England, has been part of the Yorkshire setup since 2008 following a switch from Derbyshire.

The Zimbabwe-born cricketer, who has scored four Test centuries and seven half-centuries, will take on the responsibility across all three formats of the game.

"It is an absolute honour to be named the club captain and to follow in the footsteps of some great captains over the years. I cannot wait to get started," Ballance told the club's official website.

"When Andrew Gale called me, it was impossible to turn down. Being captain is something that I enjoy doing and hopefully I will do a good job for Yorkshire and follow on from the good work that Galey has done over the years.

"I'm experienced now, I have played a bit of cricket over the years, so I have seen how different captains work. I think that I am a calm person and like to think that I have a decent cricket brain. I'm not a massive speaker, but I will be looking to lead by example on the field and get the lads to follow me."

Yorkshire coach Gale added: "I wanted to take my time when deciding who to appoint as new club captain and Gary is the right man to take the team forward. I am a firm believer in continuity and I am pleased that Gary will captain Yorkshire across all three formats.

"Gary is respected on and off the field, has a good cricket brain and knows the direction that we would like to take the team in. He has led from the front for many years with the bat and his experience speaks for itself.

"Last season, I missed a game against Nottinghamshire at Scarborough with a back injury and Gary stepped in as captain. He showed great qualities as a leader and I am excited about how he will lead the side in the future."

Ballance is currently with the England Test squad in India.