Temba Bavuma will aim to extend one of Test cricket’s most outstanding captaincy records when South Africa begin their two-match series against Bangladesh at the Wanderers on Sunday.
Bavuma has led South Africa to 13 victories in his first 15 Tests as captain – the most wins recorded by any captain at that stage of their career.
Only Australia’s Lindsay Hassett has matched that achievement. Both captains recorded 13 wins, one draw and one defeat in their opening 15 matches in charge.
Hassett’s record began to decline in his 16th Test as captain, when Australia were beaten by South Africa in Melbourne during the 1952/53 season. He managed only one further victory in his final nine matches as captain.
A home defeat by Bangladesh would therefore rank as a major upset for South Africa, comparable to Australia’s loss to an unfancied South African side 74 years ago.
South Africa are the reigning World Test champions, while Bavuma’s victories as captain include three wins against Australia and three against India. Two of the victories over India came in India last year.
The Proteas have also dominated their previous meetings with Bangladesh, winning 14 of their 16 Tests. The other two ended in draws affected by rain, both in Bangladesh in 2015.
Bangladesh, however, arrive with evidence that they can produce a surprise. They defeated Australia in Darwin in August, and Bavuma acknowledged in a recent interview that South Africa now face increased attention.
“The target is on our back and everyone wants to have a go at us,” he said.
The timing of Bangladesh’s tour has made the challenge more difficult. They were still completing a drawn Test against West Indies in Sylhet on Monday, before reaching Johannesburg on Wednesday – only four days before their meeting with the world champions.
Their previous record in South Africa is bleak. Bangladesh have lost all eight of their Tests there, with five defeats coming by an innings. Of the other three, their narrowest loss was by 220 runs in Durban during the 2021/22 season.
Towhid Hridoy could be central to Bangladesh’s hopes of improving that record. He made 350 not out for Bangladesh ‘A’ against South Africa ‘A’ in a high-scoring draw in Potchefstroom in September.
Hridoy then continued his strong run of form in the second Test against West Indies last week, scoring 242 not out and 82.
