Temba Bavuma is current South Africa captain | Source- AFP
The Temba Bavuma-led South Africa bagged another famous victory in this WTC cycle, beating Australia by a massive margin at Gqeberha. Under Temba Bavuma's captaincy, the Proteas bagged an ICC title they'd waited decades for.
Since then, the South African cricket has only grown by leaps and bounds. The loss in the first Test against Australia was the first one for Bavuma, the Test captain. In 14 Tests as South Africa's captain, he has won 12, lost just one, and drawn a match.
In this article, we will analyse which captains have the best winning percentage in Test cricket after leading their teams in at least 14 matches.
1) Temba Bavuma
The current South African captain, Temba Bavuma, sits at the top of the pile in the list. With 12 victories in 14 matches, he has an impressive winning percentage of 85.71%.
Not only have they won the WTC Mace; Bavuma’s South Africa have also whitewashed India in India. Moreover, they outclassed teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies (both at home and away).
Now, the Proteas, under Bavuma, are on the road to beat the mighty South Africa in a three-match series, if they can beat them in Cape Town. Notably, he is the only non-Australian present in the list.
2) Steve Waugh
The next on the list is Steve Waugh with a winning percentage of 71.93%. Under him, Australia won 31 and lost just nine matches, along with 7 draws, after 57 matches.
The Steve Waugh-led team had achieved every possible record, but they couldn't win their final frontier: the famous Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2000/01. Although they kicked off the series with a victory in Mumbai (Bombay back then), a classic partnership between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid at Kolkata turned the course of the entire series.
Despite that, Waugh Sr. is regarded as the finest Test captain the world has ever seen.
3) Don Bradman
If a cricketing list is made and Sir Don Bradman's name isn't on it, it would be unholy. The OG GOAT is third on the list. He led Australia in 24 Test matches from 1936 to 1948.
Under Sir Bradman, the Aussies won 15 Test matches and lost just three matches, with six draws to go. His Test-captain winning percentage is 62.50%.
Bradman holds the record for winning all five series as captain, including five against England and one vs India. In the history of the Ashes, he sits second in terms of victories as captain.
4) Ricky Ponting
If you were wondering why the captain of the Invincible Australian side isn't on the list, then your wait is over! Ricky Ponting ranks fourth on the list with a 62.34% winning percentage.
Under his captaincy, Australia played 77 matches, winning 48, losing just 16, and drawing 13.
Not only was he one of the greatest captains of his time, but he also kept his run-scoring habit intact. As captain, Ponting scored 6542 Test runs at an average of 51.51, featuring 19 centuries and 35 fifties.
5) Pat Cummins
Last but not the least on the list is the current Australian Test captain, Patrick James Cummins. Moreover, he is the first bowling captain on the list.
Like Temba Bavuma, he is still captaining his national team, which means his numbers could change either way from here. For now, he has a 61.90% winning percentage after 42 Test matches.
Under Cummins, Australia lifted their maiden WTC Mace, beating India in 2023. However, under him, they missed making it two in two at Lord's in the 2025 WTC final.
