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’s 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 eyes, but his defense 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 eyes 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. The batsman will be leading his side against the West Indies, Ireland, the Netherlands, before the major tournament of World T20. 

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. 

(As of June 2021)