BLOEMFONTEIN (South Africa), Oct 24: Daniel Vettori faces a tough challenge as New Zealand’s new cricket captain on their tour of South Africa which starts with a four-day match against a South African Invitation XI here from Thursday.

Vettori was appointed captain of the Black Caps after former skipper Stephen Fleming stepped down as one-day captain following the World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year.

Fleming said he wanted to continue to lead the Test side but the selectors opted for a complete change, putting Vettori, 28, in charge for all matches.

The tall left-arm spinner had his first taste of leadership when he skippered the Black Caps to the semi-finals of the recent World Twenty20 in South Africa but taking on the host country in two Tests and three One-day Internationals is likely to be an altogether more challenging task.

New Zealand were beaten 2-0 in a three-Test series in South Africa two seasons ago after losing a one-day series 4-0.

Unusually for modern tours, New Zealand have a lengthy build-up to the Tests. They arrived in South Africa last Friday and have had almost a week to prepare for Thursday’s match against a capable Invitation team, led by Boeta Dippenaar.

But Dippenaar withdrew on Wednesday because of a bruised thumb, while fast bowler Monde Zondeki was ruled out with a rib injury.—AFP