List of South Africa national cricket captains

South Africa played its first Test match in cricket in 1889 against England at Port Elizabeth, becoming the third Test nation after England and Australia. This is a list of the men and women who have been the official South African captains in Tests.

South Africa was a founder member of the International Cricket Council in 1909. However, the South African team did not play official Test cricket from 1970 to 1991, having been suspended from membership the ICC as a result of controversy over apartheid (most particularly the reaction to the Basil d'Oliveira affair). There were a number of rebel tours to South Africa in the intervening period, but none of the matches are recognised as official Test matches and they are not include here. South Africa rejoined the ICC, and resumed playing official Test cricket, in 1991.

Contents

Men's Cricket

Test match captains

This is a list of cricketers who have captained the South African cricket team for at least one Test match. The table of results is complete to the third Test against Australia in 2009. Where a player has a dagger (†) next to a Test match series in which he captained at least one Test, that denotes that player deputised for the appointed captain or were appointed by the home authority for a minor proportion in a series. The dagger classification follows that adopted by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.

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South African Test match captains
Number Name Year Report Opposition Location Played Won Lost Drawn
1 Owen Dunell 1888–89 Report England South Africa 1 0 1 0
2 William Milton 1888–89 Report England South Africa 1 0 1 0
1891–92 Report England South Africa 1 0 1 0
Total 2 0 2 0
3 Ernest Halliwell 1895–96 Report England South Africa 2 0 2 0
1902–03 Report Australia South Africa 1 0 1 0
Total 3 0 3 0
4 Alfred Richards 1895–96† Report England South Africa 1 0 1 0
5 Murray Bisset 1898–99 Report England South Africa 2 0 2 0
6 Henry Taberer 1902–03 Report Australia South Africa 1 0 0 1
7 John Anderson 1902–03 Report Australia South Africa 1 0 1 0
8 Percy Sherwell 1905–06 Report England South Africa 5 4 1 0
1907 Report England England 3 0 1 2
1910–11 Report Australia Australia 5 1 4 0
Total 13 5 6 2
9 Tip Snooke 1909–10 Report England South Africa 5 3 2 0
10 Frank Mitchell 1912 Report Australia England 2 0 2 0
1912 Report England England 1 0 1 0
Total 3 0 3 0
11 Louis Tancred 1912 Report England England 2 0 2 0
1912 Report Australia England 1 0 0 1
Total 3 0 2 1
12 Herbie Taylor 1913–14 Report England South Africa 5 0 4 1
1921–22 Australia South Africa 3 0 1 2
1922–23 England South Africa 5 1 2 2
1924 England England 5 0 3 2
Total 18 1 10 7
13 Nummy Deane 1927–28 England South Africa 5 2 2 1
1929 England England 5 0 2 3
1930–31 England South Africa 2 0 2 0
Total 12 2 4 6
14 Buster Nupen 1930–31† England South Africa 1 1 0 0
15 Jock Cameron 1930–31 England South Africa 2 0 0 2
1931–32 Australia Australia 5 0 5 0
1931–32 New Zealand New Zealand 2 2 0 0
Total 9 2 5 2
16 Herbie Wade 1935 England England 5 1 0 4
1935–36 Australia South Africa 5 0 4 1
Total 10 1 4 5
17 Alan Melville 1938–39 England South Africa 5 0 1 4
1947 England England 5 0 3 2
Total 10 0 4 6
18 Dudley Nourse 1948–49 England South Africa 5 0 2 3
1949–50 Australia South Africa 5 0 4 1
1951 England England 5 1 3 1
Total 15 1 9 5
19 Jack Cheetham 1952–53 Australia Australia 5 2 2 1
1952–53 New Zealand New Zealand 2 1 0 1
1953–54 New Zealand South Africa 5 4 0 1
1955 England England 3 0 3 0
Total 15 7 5 '3
20 Jackie McGlew 1955† England England 2 2 0 0
1956–57† England South Africa 1 0 1 0
1957–58† Australia South Africa 1 0 0 1
1960 England England 5 0 3 2
1961–62 New Zealand South Africa 5 2 2 1
Total 14 4 6 4
21 Clive van Ryneveld 1956–57 England South Africa 4 2 1 1
1957–58 Australia South Africa 4 0 3 1
Total 8 2 4 2
22 Trevor Goddard 1963–64 Australia Australia 5 1 1 3
1963–64 New Zealand New Zealand 3 0 0 3
1964–65 England South Africa 5 0 1 4
Total 13 1 2 10
23 Peter van der Merwe 1965 England England 3 1 0 2
1966–67 Australia South Africa 5 3 1 1
Total 8 4 1 3
24 Ali Bacher 1969–70 Australia South Africa 4 4 0 0
25 Kepler Wessels 1991–92 West Indies West Indies 1 0 1 0
1992–93 India South Africa 4 1 0 3
1993–94 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 3 1 0 2
1993–94 Australia Australia 2 1 0 1
1993–94 Australia South Africa 3 1 1 1
1994 England England 3 1 1 1
Total 16 5 3 8
26 Hansie Cronje 1993–94† Australia Australia 1 0 1 0
1994–95 New Zealand South Africa 3 2 1 0
1994–95 Pakistan South Africa 1 1 0 0
1994–95 New Zealand New Zealand 1 1 0 0
1995–96 Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 1 1 0 0
1995–96 England South Africa 5 1 0 4
1996–97 India India 3 1 2 0
1996–97 India South Africa 3 2 0 1
1996–97 Australia South Africa 3 1 2 0
1997–98 Pakistan Pakistan 3 1 0 2
1997–98 Australia Australia 3 0 1 2
1997–98 Pakistan South Africa 2 1 1 0
1997–98 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 2 1 0 1
1998 England England 5 1 2 2
1998–99 West Indies South Africa 5 5 0 0
1998–99 New Zealand New Zealand 3 1 0 2
1999–2000 Zimbabwe South Africa 1 1 0 0
1999–2000 Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 1 1 0 0
1999–2000 England South Africa 5 2 1 2
1999–2000 India India 2 2 0 0
Total 53 26 11 16
27 Gary Kirsten 1997-98† Pakistan South Africa 1 0 0 1
28 Shaun Pollock
 2000–01 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 3 1 1 1
2000–01 New Zealand South Africa 3 2 0 1
2000–01 Sri Lanka South Africa 3 2 0 1
2000–01 West Indies West Indies 5 2 1 2
2001–02 Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 2 1 0 1
2001–02 India South Africa 2 1 0 1
2001–02 Australia Australia 3 0 3 0
2002–03 Bangladesh South Africa 1 1 0 0
2002–03 Sri Lanka South Africa 2 2 0 0
2002–03 Pakistan South Africa 2 2 0 0
Total 26 14 5 7
29 Mark Boucher
 2001–02 Australia South Africa 3 1 2 0
2002–03† Bangladesh South Africa 1 1 0 0
Total 4 2 2 0
30 Graeme Smith
 2003 Bangladesh Bangladesh 2 2 0 0
2003 England England 5 2 2 1
2003–04 Pakistan Pakistan 2 0 1 1
2003–04 West Indies South Africa 4 3 0 1
2003–04 New Zealand New Zealand 3 1 1 1
2004 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 2 0 1 1
2004–05 India India 2 0 1 1
2004–05 England South Africa 5 1 2 2
2004–05 Zimbabwe South Africa 2 2 0 0
2004–05 West Indies West Indies 4 2 0 2
2005–06 Report Australia Australia 3 0 2 1
2005–06 Report Australia South Africa 2 0 2 0
2005–06 Report New Zealand South Africa 3 2 0 1
2006–07 India South Africa 3 2 1 0
2006–07 Pakistan South Africa 3 2 1 0
2007–08 Pakistan Pakistan 2 1 0 1
2007–08 New Zealand South Africa 2 2 0 0
2007–08 West Indies South Africa 3 2 1 0
2007–08 Bangladesh Bangladesh 2 2 0 0
2007–08 India India 3 1 1 1
2008 England England 4 2 1 1
2008–09 Bangladesh South Africa 1 1 0 0
2008–09 Australia Australia 3 2 1 0
2009–10 Australia South Africa 3 1 2 0
2009–10 england South Africa 4 1 1 2
2009–10 . India India 2 1 1 0
2010 . West Indies West Indies 3 2 0 1
2010 . Pakistan UAE 2 0 0 2
2010 . India south africa 3 1 1 1
Total 81 38 23 18
31 Jacques Kallis 2005–06† Report Australia South Africa 1 0 1 0
2008–09† Australia South Africa 1 1 0 0
Total 2 1 1 0
32 Ashwell Prince 2006 Report Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 2 0 2 0
Grand total 344 120 121 103

ODI captains

This is a complete list of every man who has captained South Africa in at least one One Day International. It is complete up to the ODI against England in Centurion on 27 September 2009.

South African ODI captains
Number Name Years Played Won Lost Tied No result % won
1 Clive Rice 1991 3 1 2 0 0 33.33
2 Kepler Wessels 1992-94 52 20 30 0 2 40.00
3 Hansie Cronje 1994–2000 138 99 35 1 3 73.70
4 Shaun Pollock 2000-05 92 59 29 3 1 66.48
5 Graeme Smith 2003-11 141 71 44 1 5 61.63
6 Mark Boucher† 2003 1 1 0 0 0 100.00
7 Nicky Boje† 2005 1 1 0 0 0 100.00
8 Jacques Kallis 2006-08 10 5 4 0 1 55.55
9 Johan Botha 2008-09 8 7 1 0 0 87.50
Grand total 426 264 145 5 12 64.37

Twenty20 International captains

This is a list of cricketers who have captained the South Africa cricket team for at least one Twenty20 International. It is complete up to the T20I against Pakistan in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 on 18 June 2009.

South Africa Twenty20 International captains
Number Name Period of captaincy Played Won Lost Tied No result  % won
1 Graeme Smith 2005-09 18 13 5 0 0 72.22
2 Shaun Pollock 2007 1 0 1 0 0 0.00
3 Johan Botha 2008-09 5 3 2 0 0 60.00
Grand total 24 16 8 0 0 66.67

Youth cricket

Test match captains

This is a list of cricketers who have captained the South African U-19 cricket team for at least one under-19 Test match. The table of results is complete to the third Test in England in 2003. Where a player has a dagger (†) next to a Test match series in which he captained at least one Test, that denotes that player was captain for a minor proportion in a series.

South African Under-19 Test match captains
Number Name Year Opposition Location Played Won Lost Drawn
1 Neil McKenzie 1995 England England 3 0 2 1
2 Douglas Gain 1995–96 India India 3 1 1 1
3 Philip Hearle 1996–97 Pakistan South Africa 3 0 2 1
4 Matthew Street 1997–98 England South Africa 2 0 0 2
5 Thami Tsolekile 1998–99 Pakistan Pakistan 3 0 1 2
6 Rivash Gobind 2000–01 New Zealand New Zealand 3 0 2 1
7 Imraan Khan 2003 England England 3 2 0 1
8 Wayne Parnell 2007-08 Bangladesh South Africa 1 0 0 1
2007-08 India South Africa 1 0 0 1
9 Jonathan Vandiar 2007-08 India South Africa 1 0 1 0
Grand total 23 3 9 11

Youth One-day International captains

This is a list of cricketers who have captained the South African Under-19 cricket team for at least one Under-19 One Day International. The table of results is complete up to the fifth ODI against England in January 2009.

South African Under-19 ODI captains
Number Name Year Played Won Lost No result
1 Neil McKenzie 1995 2 0 2 0
2 Douglas Gain 1995–96 3 0 3 0
3 Wade Wingfield 1996–97 1 1 0 0
4 Philip Hearle 1996–97 2 1 1 0
5 Matthew Street 1997–98 8 7 1 0
6 Thami Tsolekile 1998–2000 9 5 3 1
7 Johan Botha 2000–01 2 0 1 1
8 Rivash Gobind 2000–01 1 1 0 0
9 Hashim Amla 2001–02 8 5 3 0
10 Imraan Khan 2003 2 1 0 1
11 Divan van Wyk 2003–04 6 3 3 0
12 Dean Elgar 2005–06 10 3 7 0
13 Jonathan Vandiar 2007–09 6 3 3 0
14 Wayne Parnell 2007–08 8 4 4 0
Grand total 68 34 31 3

Women's cricket

Women's Test match captains

This is a list of cricketers who have captained the South African women's cricket team for at least one women's Test match. Where a player has a dagger (†) next to a Test match series in which she captained at least one Test, that denotes that player was captain for a minor proportion in a series.

South African women's Test captains
Number Name Season Opposition Location Played Won Lost Drawn W%
1 Sheila Nefdt 1960–61 England South Africa 4 0 1 3 0.00
2 Maureen Payne 1971–72 New Zealand South Africa 3 0 1 2 0.00
3 Cindy Eksteen 2001–02 India South Africa 1 0 1 0 0.00
4 Alison Hodgkinson 2003 England England 2 0 1 1 0.00
5 Cri-Zelda Brits 2007 Netherlands Netherlands 1 1 0 0 100.00
Grand total 11 1 4 6 9.09

Women's One-Day International captains

This is a list of cricketers who have captained the South African women's cricket team for at least one women's one-day international.

South African women's ODI captains
Number Name Year Played Won Lost Tied No result W%
1 Kim Price 1997–2000 26 13 12 0 1 52.00
2 Linda Olivier 1999 3 0 3 0 0 0.00
3 Cindy Eksteen 1999–2002 6 2 3 0 1 40.00
4 Alison Hodgkinson 2003-05 19 4 14 0 1 22.22
5 Cri-zelda Brits 2006-08 16 11 4 0 1 73.33
6 Sunette Loubser 2009 7 3 3 1 0 50.00
7 Alicia Smith 2009 1 0 1 0 0 0.00
Grand total 78 33 40 1 4 42.31

Women's Twenty20 Internationals

This is a list of cricketers who have captained the South African women's cricket team for at least one Women's Twenty20 International.

South African women's ODI captains
Number Name Year Played Won Lost Tied No result W%
1 Cri-zelda Brits 2007-08 6 1 5 0 0 16.66
2 Sunette Loubser 2009 5 0 5 0 0 0.00
3 Alicia Smith 2009 1 0 1 0 0 0.00
Grand total 12 1 11 0 0 8.33

See also

References

National cricket captains