Temba Bavuma

Temba Bavuma has established himself in the South African set-up despite his limitations. He is the first black African cricket captain, however, he is much more than that. Bavuma announced himself through his gritty Test batting and gradually became the white-ball captain for the Proteas. His technique may look uncanny to the eyes, but his defence makes him the best of the current South African lot.

Having made his first-class debut for Gauteng in 2008, Bavuma was fast-tracked into the Lions squad and became an integral part of the side with consistent performances. He was also awarded for his consistent performances after being made the vice-captain in the 2013-14 season. 

After finishing as one of the top run-getters for several seasons, Bavuma finally made his international debut when he was named in the squad for the Test series against West Indies during the fag end of 2015. He failed to make a mark but scored an impressive half-century in Bangladesh in 2015 and caught the eye of Hashim Amla. 

Bavuma managed to cement his spot in the side on the back of a brilliant century against England at Cape Town. His performances at the longest format meant an ODI debut for the little man in 2016. The batter started his ODI career with a bang and became the second South African to score a ton on debut. However, he got his second ODI, after a one-year leap, and scored an important 48 against Bangladesh at home. But when AB de Villiers returned to the national team, Bavuma was the one who got chopped off the Champions Trophy’s selections. 

Meanwhile, the gritty batter remained regular in the Tests, which helped him regain his lost spot in the ODIs, and then in T20Is. After South Africa’s embarrassing World Cup campaign, Bavuma was reintroduced in the white-ball formats. He made his T20I debut on the tour of India in 2019. He soon cemented his place, and when Faf du Plessis resigned from the leadership role, Bavuma became the white-ball skipper, post a series-long stint of Quinton de Kock. 

His first job as the leader came in the series against Pakistan in 2021. The skipper began by scoring 1 and redeemed himself with a 92 in the second ODI. However, he got injured just before the T20Is. 

Bavuma has shown a lot of promise in whichever formats he has played and has the ability to play some outrageous shots. He would now have to lead his team from the front in these hard transition times.

Since then, Bavuma’s leadership has been tested and celebrated. He captained South Africa in the 2021 T20 World Cup, scoring 124 runs in 5 matches, though they missed the semi-finals. In 2023, he became South Africa’s first permanent black African Test captain against the West Indies, scoring a career-best 172 in Centurion. His ODI form peaked in the 2023 World Cup, where he scored 475 runs in 8 matches, including a century against England, guiding the Proteas to the semifinals. In T20Is, he led South Africa to the 2024 T20 World Cup final, their first, scoring 199 runs in 9 matches, though they lost to India in Barbados.

His Test captaincy has seen highs like a 2-0 win over West Indies in 2023 and a historic series victory in Australia in 2024-25, despite a 2-0 loss in New Zealand in 2024 with a weakened squad. In the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bavuma scored a vital 73 in Perth but missed the later Tests due to an elbow injury, with Aiden Markram leading South Africa to a landmark win.

Bavuma has shown a lot of promise in whichever formats he has played and has the ability to play some outrageous shots. He would now have to lead his team from the front in these hard transition times. With South Africa eyeing a WTC final berth and Bavuma balancing leadership with his batting prowess, his journey remains one of grit and grace, a testament to his resolve to carve a lasting legacy beyond the boundary ropes.

(As of May 2025)