Temba Bavuma has led South Africa to nine wins and one draw in his first 10 Tests. No captain has had a better record in the format after 10 games.
Bavuma first led South Africa at Test cricket in the 2022/23 home series against the West Indies. South Africa won both Test matches, as they did in the first Test against India at Cape Town in 2023/24. He sustained an injury against India, which forced him to miss the Cape Town Test.
Then, as their New Zealand tour clashed against with the SA20, South Africa sent a second-string side and lost both Tests. Back to business, Bavuma’s next Test was at Port of Spain. South Africa pushed for a win, but rain denied them enough time to enforce a result.
After four Tests, Bavuma’s record as captain stood at three wins, one draw. Then began their streak of seven consecutive wins – one against the West Indies, followed by two in Bangladesh (there was no Bavuma) and at home, two against each of Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The run helped them barge into the World Test Championship final.
A triumph in the final against Australia took Bavuma’s run to six consecutive wins. He became the second captain (after Percy Chapman in the 1920s) to win nine of their first ten Tests, and the second captain (after Warwick Armstrong, also in the 1920s) to go unbeaten in his first ten Tests.
However, Bavuma is ahead of both men. Armstrong won one Test fewer, while Chapman did not remain unbeaten. If one followed the current WTC system, Bavuma would have had a PCT of 93.33 after 10 Tests, Chapman 90, and Armstrong 86.67.
Most wins in first 10 men’s Test matches as captain
| Captain | Team | Span | Wins | Draws | Defeats | PCT (WTC) | Final record |
| Temba Bavuma | South Africa | 2023-25 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 93.33 | 9-1-0 (active) |
| Percy Chapman | England | 1926-30 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 90.00 | 9-6-2 |
| Warwick Armstrong | Australia | 1920-21 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 86.67 | 8-2-0 |
| Johnny Douglas | England | 1911-14 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 83.33 | 8-2-8 |
| Lindsay Hassett | Australia | 1949-51 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 83.33 | 14-6-4 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 2004-05 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 83.33 | 48-13-16 |
Armstrong led in only 10 Test matches. No one has remained unbeaten in a career longer than Armstrong’s, though Bavuma has a chance to usurp his record.
