Temba Bavuma set to extend remarkable Test captaincy record

Temba Bavuma is set to extend one of Test cricket’s most remarkable records when he captains South Africa in the first of two Tests against Bangladesh at the Wanderers on Sunday.

With 13 wins in his first 15 Tests as captain, Bavuma has had more success than anyone in the history of the game at an equivalent stage of their captaincy.

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Only Lindsay Hassett of Australia can match Bavuma’s record. They both had 13 wins, one draw and one loss in their first 15 matches in charge.

Hassett’s fortunes took a downturn in his 16th match at the helm, when they lost to South Africa in Melbourne in 1952/53 – and he had only one more win in his last nine matches as captain.

Shock

For South Africa to lose at home to Bangladesh would be similar in shock value to Australia’s loss against an unheralded South African team 74 years ago.

South Africa are the reigning World Test champions and their wins under Bavuma include three against Australia and three against India of which two were in India last year.

South Africa have won 14 of their 16 previous Tests against Bangladesh, with the other two matches having been rain-affected draws in Bangladesh in 2015.

But Bangladesh pulled off a surprise win against Australia in Darwin in August and as Bavuma noted in a recent interview, “the target is on our back and everyone wants to have a go at us.”

The tour schedule makes an already tough assignment for Bangladesh even more challenging. As recently as Monday, they were completing a drawn Test against West Indies in Sylhet. They arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday, just four days before facing the world champions.

Lost all prior Test in SA

Bangladesh lost all eight of their previous Tests in South Africa. Five were by an innings and the closest of the other three defeats was by 220 runs in Durban in 2021/22.

A key player for Bangladesh could be Towhid Hridoy, who made 350 not out for Bangladesh ‘A’ against South Africa ‘A’ in a high-scoring draw in Potchefstroom in September and followed up with 242 not out and 82 in the second Test against the West Indies last week.