Quinton de Kock will captain South Africa for the rest of their ODI series in Sri Lanka.
With the five-match series already in the bag after the Proteas won the first three, De Kock will skipper the side for the two remaining games after captain Faf du Plessis was ruled out for the rest of the series.
Coach Ottis Gibson could have gone for JP Duminy (who will captain the T20 side in the one-off match), veteran ex-skipper Hashim Amla, or youngster Aiden Markram, who led the side against India earlier this year.
Gibson explains his decision as follows: “I have always found Quinton to have a good cricket brain, he understands the game.
“With Faf injured, it seems like a good opportunity and chance for him to show that side of his game as a leader for the next two games.
“He is someone who understands the game, he is constantly helping the captain on the field, he shows good leadership on the field even as a normal player.
“It is about trying to grow the team and growing the leaders within the team.”
Of the opportunity, De Kock says: “To be honest, I am feeling quite nervous, it is an honour to be given this responsibility of captaining the Proteas.
“As a captain, I will try to stay true to myself and stay true to what I believe it takes to be a good leader.
“I will strive to help others going forward, just to be there as a captain.”