It will complete a notable double for England, who has also been appointed Britain's Chef de Mission for next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The 60-year-old fulfilled that position for Team GB at Rio 2016, where Britain finished second overall to the United States with a total of 67 medals, including 27 gold, their best-ever performance in an Olympic Games outside London. 

England was also Britain's Chef de Mission at the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015. 

He was previously Deputy Chef de Mission at six Olympic Games, including London 2012, and Chef de Mission at several Olympic Youth Festivals.

At the last Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, England sent 390 athletes to Australia in what was the largest ever team to represent the nation in an overseas sporting event. 

England competed in 18 sports and placed second on the medal table behind the hosts Australia with a total of 136 medals, including 45 golds.

"It is always special to lead a nation into competition, but to be able to do so at a home Games is an absolute privilege," England said. 

"My thanks to both the British Olympic Association and Commonwealth Games England for the opportunity.

"The athletes and team will get a wonderful reception in Birmingham and across the Midlands, and I hope we can make England proud through their performances in 2022. 

"In the meantime, there is a lot of hard work to do and I’m looking forward to working with the team to deliver the optimal performance support to the athletes."

Commonwealth Games England chief executive Paul Blanchard admitted England's experience was the clinching factor in appointing him to such an important role.

"Mark has a wealth of experience in multi-sport planning and delivery and his record is exemplary," Blanchard said. 

"He will bring an exceptional level of insight, understanding and quality to Team England and we believe that we have made the strongest possible appointment for the role. 

"I’m excited and very much look forward to working with him. 

"I’d like to thank the British Olympic Association for their full support in this appointment, which shows the positive, collaborative and joined-up approach to the high performance sport system in this country."