By Paul Grunill BBC Sport

For any cricketer, being appointed captain of your national team is a proud moment.

I'm thrilled at the opportunity and I'm going to make the most of it Alison Hodgkinson

So it was for Alison Hodgkinson, even though the 26-year-old from Cape Town knew the circumstances were far from ideal.

Starved of international cricket since March last year, the South African Women's team travelled to England with eight of their 15 players as yet uncapped - and they have had little or no match practice since April.

"The night the captaincy was announced, I was pretty dumbstruck. I was quite surprised the current captain at that stage, Cindy Eksteen, had been dropped.

"I've captained my province for a couple of years, but captaining the country is a huge step forward," Hodgkinson told the BBC Sport website.

"It's going to be a real challenge, taking over a very new-look squad. It's a fresh start for South African women's cricket, obviously with the 2005 World Cup in mind."

Hodgkinson was part of the South African team which lost a one-day series 3-2 in England three years ago and made her senior international debut in the opening game at Chelmsford.

Later that year they gained revenge with a five-wicket win over England at the World Cup in New Zealand, only to lose to Australia at the semi-final stage.

Since then, South African women's cricket has been at a virtual standstill, with a home series against India in 2002 their sole taste of international action.

South Africa outplayed England at the 2000 World Cup Read the match report

"We are affiliated to the United Cricket Board but we'd like to reach the stage where they would be running women's cricket because they have the finances.

"It think that's the biggest problem as to why we aren't playing more series," said Hodgkinson.

She admits that playing so infrequently is a "huge disadvantage" in terms of building experience and confidence.

It therefore puts an extra responsibility on the senior players and Hodgkinson will rely heavily on the likes of vice-captain Yulandi van der Merwe and wicket-keeper Daleen Terblanche.

"In my business environment as well, I'm very open to a lot of input from the team members. It's a democratic style of leadership, but I'm hard on my girls and they know what I expect from them," said Hodgkinson.

The tour itinerary features three one-day internationals and two Tests - and the longer form of the game is even more of a novelty to the South Africans.

SOUTH AFRICAN SQUAD A Hodgkinson (capt), J Barnard, C Brits, D de Kock, C Frits, L Jacobs, A Kilowan, J Logtenberg, N Ndzundzu, A Smith, C Terblanche, Y van der Merwe, C van der Westhuizen, S van Zyl.

A 10-wicket defeat by India in Paarl last year, a match in which Hodgkinson made 77 in the second innings, was their sole Test since 1972.

"Commercially, perhaps, we should be focusing on one-day cricket to bring in the people.

"But from a purist's point of view - and I think along purist lines - and in terms of building concentration, thinking and imagination into one's game, we definitely need to be playing Test match cricket," she said.

"I think this tour is about learning - and that's what we're here to do."