Temba Bavuma named South Africa's Test captain: Decoding key stats
Temba Bavuma has replaced Dean Elgar as South Africa's Test captain. Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced the same on Friday (February 17) while announcing squads for the two-match home Test series versus West Indies, starting February 28. While Bavuma will remain the ODI skipper, he will relinquish the T20I leadership. Here we look at the key stats.
Why does this story matter?
Elgar took over the command from Quinton de Kock in 2021 and had a mixed campaign as South Africa's Test skipper. The left-handed batter faced massive criticism following his side's 0-2 drubbing against Australia last month. Bavuma, who became SA's white-ball skipper in 2021, has been given the charge of the Test side as well. Elgar, meanwhile, will continue to serve as a player.
A look at Bavuma's career
Bavuma, who debuted in Tests in December 2014, has so far played 54 Tests, smoking 2,797 runs at 34.53. The tally includes 20 fifties and a solitary ton. The right-handed batter owns 1,443 runs at 37.97, 1,354 at 31.48 in home and away Tests, respectively. Bavuma would certainly like to enhance these numbers with the responsibility of leadership being on his shoulders.
How he has fared as a white-ball skipper?
Bavuma has so far guided SA in 17 ODIs, returning with nine wins and seven defeats (NR: 1). In these games, he has clobbered 575 at 41.07 (100s: 2, 50: 1). In T20Is, the Proteas side won 15 of the 25 T20Is under Bavuma (9 defeats, 1 NR). He tallied a paltry 386 runs at 18.38 in these games, striking at 107.22 (50: 1).
Elgar's stint as SA's Test captain
Meanwhile, Elgar led SA in a total of 17 Tests in which he accumulated 833 runs at a paltry average of 26.87. The tally includes seven fifties with his highest score being 96*. SA won nine Tests under him while losing seven (one draw). Overall, the 35-year-old tallies 5,027 runs in 82 Tests at 37.51. He has smoked 13 tons and 22 half-centuries.
Maiden call-up for Tony de Zorzi
Meanwhile, SA have handed a maiden call-up to Tony de Zorzi, who has been on a roll in domestic cricket. The top-order batter scored 489 runs at an average of 122.25 in the domestic four-day competition. Batter Keegan Petersen makes a return having recovered from a hamstring injury. All-rounder Senuran Muthusamy, who last featured in 2019, also makes a return.
SA's Test Squad for West Indies series
SA's Test Squad for West Indies series: Temba Bavuma (captain), Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton.
Markram front-runner to become T20I skipper
While SA are yet to announce their new T20I skipper, Aiden Markram is the front-runner to get the role. The batter recently led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to glory in the inaugural SA20. He has also been brilliant in T20Is, having hammered 905 runs at 37.71 (SR: 147.39). The dasher owns a total of nine fifties in the format.
