I'll do it my way: Prince

Ashwell Prince, recently announced as South African captain for the Test series in Sri Lanka, says his style of captaincy is a world apart from the man he replaced. Prince acknowledged that "unforeseen circumstances" - Graeme Smith's injury - led him to captain the national side but that he was up to the task.

"People should not expect me to do things the way Graeme did," Prince told reporters on the eve of South Africa's departure for Sri Lanka. "Graeme is a very aggressive captain; I am quieter on the field."

Despite the loss of key players, Prince remained confident of success and his abilities. "Not having Graeme, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock [for the first Test] will be a huge setback," he said. "We realise each one of us will have to contribute something extra. But, the captaincy will not be completely new to me. I have gained valuable experience at Western Province and things went rather well."

Prince added that people skills would not be an issue. "I work well with the coach and senior players and like to work out things tactically," he said. "One must think deeply about what you have to do as captain. I also get on well with the players and do not anticipate any problems on that front."

Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, said a decision would be taken later whether Prince would continue to lead for the triangular one-day series also featuring India.

"We'll first see how things go in the Test series," he said. "When Haroon Lorgat [convener of the selectors] joins us on tour, we will decide whether Ashwell will captain the side for the one-day matches."

With Justin Kemp unlikely to play in the one-day series, the possibility of Prince retaining the captaincy seems strong.