Skipper AB de Villiers believes South Africa are about to face a Cumbrian Ben Stokes who has taken his game to the next level.

The Proteas have arrived in England for a three-month tour, beginning with three one-day internationals, with the first taking place at Headingley tomorrow afternoon.

Their tour will also encompass the ICC Champions Trophy, three T20s and a four-Test series.

They will come up against all-rounder Stokes, 25, who made a number of stellar performances in the Indian Premier League for Rising Pune Supergiant, winning the IPL’s most valuable player award.

And South Africa one-day captain de Villiers said: “Stokes is a fantastic cricketer, with both bat and ball.

“He’s definitely got something special about him. He had a really good IPL and he’s a stand-out player for England.

“A lot of guys lose their way in the IPL, and others find the next level in their game. Ben Stokes definitely lifted his game and I think it would have done him the world of good.

“But a few of our players who played over there lifted their game.

"I faced Imran Tahir in the nets and he’s certainly stepped his game up a bit, and come up with a few new deliveries, and so has everyone else who was there.”

South Africa are currently ranked number one in ODIs but will come up against an England team that have lost only one series at home, a 3-2 defeat to world champions Australia, since their 2015 World Cup debacle, when they were knocked out in the group stage.

“I remember thinking in 2015 they had hit rock bottom, so they did really well to come back from that,” added De Villiers.

“They are a really talented group of players. The way they came back from that earned a lot of respect around the world.

“They must be one of the favourites [for the ICC Champions Trophy], in their home country and playing some really good cricket of late.”

De Villiers, 33, has opted out of playing in the Test series as he tries to lighten his workload.