By Terry Maddaford

Daniel Vettori is ready to lead from the front.

Heading off to South Africa on the biggest challenge of his cricketing life, Daniel Vettori will have no qualms about giving himself an early spell at the bowling crease if the situation so demands.

The 77-test veteran is about to break new ground in picking up the test captaincy when Stephen Fleming was relieved of those duties after the longest reign by a New Zealander in the job.

Vettori assembles with the rest of the 15-man squad in Sydney early this morning before flying out to the Republic for eight matches - two warm-up games against South Africa A, two tests, a Twenty20 international and three ODIs.

While he has led the team in the shorter versions of the game, Vettori enters a new era in captaining the test side.

He has thought about the challenges the role brings but remains unfazed.

"I have thought about the responsibilities and have planned how I want to do things," said Vettori. "I like to think I have always thought about the game. Really, it is not too much of a step up."

Her rejects suggestions that he has tended to under-bowl himself when leading the team.

"Anyone saying that has probably got it wrong," he said. "I think the thing I have done well is bowl at tough times. I have no problem managing my own bowling. I'm happy to bowl after 10 overs if the situation so demands, just as I'm happy to bowl at the death."

His experience of leading teams in the first-class arena is confined to matches for Northern Districts.

"While I haven't done the job fulltime, I have done enough to take confidence from what I have done. But I'm not silly enough to see it [the captaincy] as a bed of roses. It is more of a progression. We know Stephen Fleming is going to retire at some stage and I'm pleased to have been given the opportunity to follow him."

The players had a camp in Christchurch at which "everything was aired".

Vettori said that while Fleming had pledged his support, he did not want to influence Vettori in his decision-making.

"If I need his advice, he will help. But he won't be as vocal as in the past."

And Fleming will continue to field in the slips with Vettori fielding close to his bowlers, probably at mid-on or mid-off. He thinks the bowlers appreciate that.

While his vice-captain has yet to be named, it appears wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum is the front-runner. It is expected that role will be filled when the players to fly out for the latter stages of the tour are named on Tuesday.

Vettori is determined the four-day tour openers against South Africa A will not be treated as simply the chance to give all 15 players a game.

"I want to use them as preparation for the tests that follow," said Vettori, who will have no qualms if Jeetan Patel is included as a second spinner in the test team.

"He is a very good bowler and honestly it does not bother me if we go in with a second spinner as we are lucky to have an allrounder like Jacob Oram batting at six."

Interestingly, Fleming and Vettori are the only players in the top 20 of New Zealand's all-time test run-scorers in the touring party.

Fleming tops the list with 6620 runs from 177 innings at an average of 39.64 while Vettori comes in at No 20 with 2242 runs from 103 innings at a respectable 24.47.

With 228 wickets, he is second on the bowling list behind Richard Hadlee.

Fleming captained New Zealand in 80 of his 104 tests (1994-2006) tests - well ahead of John R. Reid (34) and Geoff Howarth (30).

Those shackles out of the way, Fleming said his aim now was to lift his batting average into the mid-40s.

"My test average should be higher," said Fleming. "That's something I want to achieve, but I've never been a great goal-setter."