South African skipper AB de Villiers, put on the spot on his opening press conference with a question he probably hadn't given a thought to, admitted the Otago lefthander is a dangerous opponent.
"It's a difficult one. My personal feeling and most honest answer is he's a very dangerous cricketer and you wouldn't want to play against him because if he comes off he's probably going to win you a game."
Asked if he would make the current South African squad, however, de Villiers, after a brief pause, said: "With the 15 we have now, no."
The South Africans arrived in the Mount yesterday ahead of the first men's international to be played there.
The visit is all about preparations for the World Cup. South Africa have never won the tournament in six attempts - they did not play to the first four editions of the cup - and have had a series of mishaps along the way.
A ludicrous rain recalculation in 1992 meant their target against England in a semifinal suddenly changed from 22 off 13 balls to 21 off one; and a madcap run out in the last over of the 1999 semifinal with the scores tied and balls to spare, handed Australia a pass to the final.
De Villiers, who referred momentarily to playing "the All Blacks" instead of the Black Caps, is a heart on his sleeve type when discussing what World Cup success would mean to him.
"I get really emotional talking about it because it's really close to my heart," he said. "We've been doing a campaign back home called Protea Fire and the reaction from the public was immense. It would mean the world to us. [To me] It's the be all and end all. I want to win this World Cup, and then maybe dream of another after that."
If South Africa succeed it will be without a couple of recent giants of the world game. Replacing former captain Graeme Smith and, only this year, champion allrounder Jacques Kallis hasn't been easy, de Villiers said.
"It was a huge knock at the time. They're wonderful players and will always be remembered for what they achieved as players and leaders.
"Having said that, we are in a really good space, and have moved on from that. The guys who have come in have brought something different to the party."
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3 things about S Africa
We're behind
There have been 58 ODIs between New Zealand (20 wins) and South Africa (34 wins).
Better than average
South African captain AB de Villiers' ODI batting average is 69.69 in his 49 games as captain, v 50.22 overall.
Still no win
There have been three World Cup semifinal appearances for South Africa, without a win, in six tournaments.
