New Zealand, new challenge for de Villiers

AB de Villiers has been on 15 international tours but his next one, the upcoming series in New Zealand, may as well be his first. Not only does it take him to a country he has never toured before but it is his opening overseas assignment as captain of South Africa's limited-overs sides.

Since taking over the leadership role last June, de Villiers has had just one opportunity to actually lead. January's five-match rubber against Sri Lanka was his first in charge. South Africa won the series 3-2 but it was manner of results rather than the results themselves that got de Villiers noticed.

Under him, nothing stood still. Not the No. 4 position in the batting order, which was rotated between him, JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis, not the regular pattern of bowling changes, not the scoring rate. South Africa seemed to have more life, they played with a different intent and although they lost the last two matches in the series, they did not appear to stop having fun. De Villiers said the trip to New Zealand is a chance for the good times to keep rolling.

"We are young side and we have a lot to prove. We are going to try and get a bit of a team spirit going over there," he said in Johannesburg, ahead of the team's departure for Auckland. "It's tough to get a team spirit going when you are at home, things are a bit disjointed, but on tour there's nothing else to do but be with your team-mates. We're going to have a good time over there."

Since making his ODI debut in 2005, de Villiers has been all about fun on the field. As the years have gone on, he has also developed a more thoughtful side to his game and it's the combination of the surreal and the serious that saw him progress to the captaincy. de Villiers is a deeply passionate and proud man. As a result, losing is always failing to him and the collective is always more important than the individual. Travelling to New Zealand will test all these values, adding to what will already make the series compelling.

New Zealand knocked South Africa out of the last World Cup and they have also had a successful summer, winning a Test in Australia and mauling Zimbabwe. Like South Africa, they are building towards something and their blend of youth and experience seems to be at its optimum. In their backyard, where South Africa have not been since 2004, de Villiers said any opposition will have to be wary. "They are a very clever team, they think on their feet," he said. "But hopefully, we'll be the smarter team in the series."

The tour is the first of three overseas outings for South Africa this year and will be used as the springboard for what is being billed as the contest of 2012, in England. "We understand that this tour is important for our tour to England. This will be a very competitive series. This is a big tour in terms of what we want to achieve as a Test side," coach Gary Kirsten said. Should South Africa whitewash New Zealand in their three-Test series, they will take over the No. 1 ranking. If they don't, they will have another chance in England.

"This tour is important for our tour to England and a big tour in terms of what we want to achieve as a Test side"Gary Kirsten

Before they even look that far, they have three Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs to contest. The former will be crucial to their plans to win an ICC Trophy for the first time since 1998, at the World T20. South Africa play 11 T20s before that competition, including five against Zimbabwe, and Kirsten said the New Zealand series will allow them to start strategising.

"The T20 team is a very young team, so there will be a lot of energy," he said. One of the newest members of that side is opening batsman Richard Levi, who replaces Graeme Smith. Levi has been setting fireworks off in the domestic twenty-over competition for the last two seasons and Kirsten said he hopes that will translate on to the international stage. "We would be very excited if we could have a batsman in our top six that is consistently explosive. Let's remember that the pinch-hitters haven't come off in the shorter format of the game so if he comes off and becomes a superstar for South Africa cricket we will all be very happy."

Levi, Marchant de Lange and recalled all-rounder Justin Ontong are three names de Villiers says are "exciting to be going to the World T20 with," and he hopes to integrate them into the side as quickly as possible. The trio are entering the set-up at a welcoming time, with a creative captain who will demand nothing but their best.

In addition to the expectations on his team, de Villiers also has high hopes for himself. He wants to use the trip to develop and enforce his own style. "I thought the boys responded well to my leadership but I am not there yet, I've got a lot to learn."

His education will come on a maiden voyage to New Zealand and as captain. At his departure press conference, de Villiers looked and sounded as excited and nervous as a teenager about to attend his first high-school ball. By the sounds of it, a ball of a different kind is in order in New Zealand.