The 28-year-old left-hander led Warwickshire for part of last season in the absence of injured captain Tim Munton, but now takes his captaincy skills up to a higher stage as the A team enter their opening fixture.
Relaxed and clearly enjoying the responsibility, Knight has already established clear lines of com- munication between himself and the rest of the party.
But the acid test comes this morning when England A face Kenya in the first of three one-day matches, having survived three days of gruelling work-outs in Nairobi's high-altitude climate.
``I don't think there are many people who come into a job like this and get it right straight away,'' said Knight. ``I only started captaining this year at Warwickshire so I haven't been doing it that long, and there are things I did well and things I didn't do so well.
``As I see it, it's important to be reasonably perceptive and be prepared to listen and learn from your mistakes. I'm sure I'll make loads of mistakes in the first game but I'll be trying to minimise them and do as much right as possible.
``There isn't a perfect way to captain a side but the most important thing is to listen and learn, particularly when I can turn to people with Mike Gatting's and Graham Gooch's experience.''
Knight is restricted in his bowling options for today's opener at the Aga Khan Sports Club following Chris Silverwood's promotion to the senior tour and until Warwickshire team-mate Dougie Brown arrives to strengthen the resources next week.
Northamptonshire batsman David Sales has been overlooked for today's game after contracting a stomach upset, while Gloucestershire's Chris Read won the vote over David Nash of Middlesex for the wicketkeeping position.
Nash replaces Read in the second match at Nairobi's Gymkhana Club tomorrow while Sales takes over from Lancashire batsman Andrew Flintoff.
ENGLAND A (v Kenya, Aga Khan Sports Club, Nairobi, today): *N V Knight (Warwickshire), S P James (Glamorgan), D L Maddy (Leicestershire), A Flintoff (Lancashire), B C Hollioake (Surrey), M A Ealham (Kent), -C M W Read (Gloucestershire), A F Giles (Warwickshire), J Ormond (Leicestershire), D A Cosker (Glamorgan), P M Hutchison (Yorkshire).
ENGLAND A (v Kenya, Nairobi Gymkhana Club, tomorrow): *Knight, James, Maddy, D J Sales (Northamptonshire), Hollioake, -D C Nash (Middlesex), Ealham, Giles, Ormond, Cosker, Hutchison.