Test captain Mike Atherton has been named to lead England in the limited overs series against the West Indies in the New Year.

Adam Hollioake has been named vice-captain for the five one-day games.

The decision follows a successful debut captaincy for Adam Hollioake in this month's Champions' Trophy tournament in Sharjah, India.

The vast majority of the victorious Sharjah squad will contest the limited over games in March and April which follow the Test match series.

Adam Hollioake will be vice-captain

Chairman of selectors, David Graveney, said that both Hollioake and Atherton were outstanding captains but the decision to appoint Atherton had been unanimous.

England's record in limited overs cricket has been second to none in 1997 unlike their Test match record.

They beat Australia 3-0 in this summer's one-day series under Atherton but their defeats in the Ashes Tests and his own failure with the bat almost persuaded him to resign.

Atherton had been unavailable for the Sharjah tournament, which England won, and it had been widely predicted that England would follow the Australian example and appoint different captains for the two series in the West Indies.

Graveney said: "Michael was very enthusiastic about taking part in the one-day internationals. He was tactically outstanding against Australia and even after the euphoria of Sharjah this should not be forgotten."

Graveney was unwilling to discuss the reasons behind the selectors' choice but hinted that they were not keen to have two captains playing in the same team.

"We took into consideration the tour itself and considered factors on both sides of the fence. We have identified the path we want to take in one-day cricket on the way to the World Cup. But our major priority is to win the test series in the West Indies."

West Indies danger man Brian Lara

Fellow selector Graham Gooch, who has taken Atherton back to basics with his batting over recent weeks, said the England captain had recovered his enthusiasm for the game.

"I've never heard him utter a word that he didn't want to be involved in all England's matches," he said. "He's very determined to lead his country and is determined to regain his best form. He wants to put things right and lead England from the front with a volume of runs."

Atherton said he was delighted by the decision. "I've always said I was keen to play one-day games for England and that remains the case. I'm looking forward to working with Adam - he did an outstanding job in Sharjah.

"All of us in the West Indies will be keen to find out how things worked in Sharjah and look to continue that momentum."

Of the 14 players in the Sharjah squad only two - Alistair Brown and Peter Martin - have not been named in the 13-man party for the Caribbean trip.

Squad: Mike Atherton, Dougie Brown, Robert Croft, Mark Ealham, Matthew Fleming, Ashley Giles, Dean Headley, Graeme Hick, Adam Hollioake, Ben Hollioake, Nick Knight, Alec Stewart, Graham Thorpe.

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