Headingley: South Africa One-Day International (ODI) skipper AB de Villiers on Thursday said he is desperate to win the ICC Champions Trophy and that the Proteas are a very good team this time.


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"I haven`t won one of these trophies in my career, so I`m pretty desperate to win one, and we`ll do anything we can to get out on top.," De Villiers was quoted as saying by www.ecb.co.uk.


"We know these tournaments are very competitive - there are eight teams that want to win it and can win it. But we do think we`ve got a very good squad here. I`ve got a good feeling about this one," he added.


South Africa will take part in a three-match Royal London ODI Series against England starting at Headingley next Wednesday.


"It`s a very nice way for us to warm up and get ready for a big one-day tournament," de Villiers said after the Proteas had their first practice in Hove.


"But first things first, we want to win the series against England, a team that`s been playing very good one-day cricket in their own country. They`ve done really well to come back from the 2015 World Cup. They`re obviously a very talented bunch, and they`ve earned a lot of respect.


"They will be one of the favourites for the Champions Trophy definitely, but quite a few teams stand out - India won the last Champions Trophy, and the Aussies are always a team to look out for," he added.


Taking a break from Test cricket, the explosive right-hander who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the ongoing Indian Premier League, had an elbow operation last autumn but returned for South Africa`s white-ball matches in New Zealand earlier this year.


"I started the IPL very well and felt in good touch throughout the tournament, but we never got going as a team as a whole," he said.


"It was a poor IPL for us, but that`s long gone now. I`m very excited to be back with the South Africa team. I had a good net session this morning - I faced Imran Tahir, and he`s certainly stepped up his game a bit.


"I`m feeling fresh, feeling 100%, and looking forward to playing this series and then the tournament," he added.