South Africa captain AB de Villiers will begin the one-day international series against England as the world's number one batsman, but needing a return to form to go with his top billing.
De Villiers bestrides the International Cricket Council rankings and, for good measure, is world record-holder too for the all-time fastest century - from just 31 balls against West Indies last year.
England will be rightly wary, of course.
But as they prepare for the first match of five, at the Mangaung Oval on Wednesday, they will recall as well that De Villiers has made precisely no runs in his last three innings against them.
He is human after all, it seems, after his successive ducks in the final two Tests at Johannesburg and Centurion.
De Villiers himself unsurprisingly prefers to remember that his last ODI innings, a little longer ago in October, was a century in a mammoth series-clinching victory by 214 runs against India in Mumbai.
There, South Africa racked up a frightening 438 for four - with hundreds too for Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock - their joint second-highest total.
South Africa have, in fact, hit four of the all-time top six ODI totals - while England have exceeded 400 just once so far, against New Zealand at Edgbaston last summer.
De Villiers acknowledges, however, that the current score here is 0-0 - and that once again, he will start without a run to his name.
"I've always taken a new series, no matter where I go, as a new challenge," he said.
"I'm starting from zero again in this series.
"I scored a hundred in my last ODI - but even then I feel like I've got to find my feet and get myself in."
De Villiers will not be getting ahead of himself then, but England will soon know if he is in form.
"Every game I play I feel like that," he said. "Even in the Indian Premier League, we play 16 games in no time, no matter how good form I'm in I feel like I need to work really hard to get yourself in again.
"I'll have the same kind of mindset again."
Comparisons have abounded over the past 12 months between De Villiers and England's aspirant Jos Buttler - who has hit his country's three fastest centuries, his last from 46 balls at his most recent attempt against Pakistan in Dubai in November.
De Villiers said: "We don't have the same styles or techniques, but he definitely paces his innings in a similar kind of way to how I like to.
"He is a really good player - and yes, someone to have a look at."
Can either of them, or anyone else for that matter, score even more quickly?
De Villiers is not sure.
"People in the past have always said it's impossible for records to be broken - and it just keeps happening.
"So I guess it can get quicker . we'll have to wait and see.
"I never thought in my wildest dreams that I could score a hundred in 31 balls, or even close to 50.
"I surprise myself every time I do that. So I honestly don't know . I'll keep believing I can do stuff like that."
Source: PA
