In a significant lineup change, Temba Bavuma is named the Proteas Test team’s first black African captain.

The South African cricket team lost the Australia Test Series by a score of 2-0, which was disappointing. The Proteas were thought to be hot favorites to make it into the ICC World Test Championship (WTC 2021-23), but their series of losses to England & Australia have left them in a dangerous situation.

There is no denying that South Africa has a potent bowling attack, but their hitters are underwhelming, which is beginning to affect the squad. In order to have a chance at competing in the WTC final, South Africa must defeat the West Indies 2-0 in a two-match Test series that begins on February 28.

Temba Bavuma was picked as the first black African captain of South Africa’s Test team on Friday as part of “a makeover within the leadership group of the national team,” according to Cricket South Africa. Although he no longer serves as captain, Dean Elgar is still a member of the team that will face the West Indies on February 28. The head selector, Victor Mpitsang, was reportedly “released” from his role, making him another victim of the restructuring, according to the CSA.

Being the first black African to represent South Africa in cricket, Bavuma made history in March 2021 when he was named captain of the one-day international and Twenty20 international teams. The start of Elgar’s prosperous captaincy was characterized by victories in the test series against Bangladesh, India, and the West Indies along with a split series against the world champions New Zealand. But, they suffered a dreadful loss during their latest series in Australia and England. But Bavuma came under fire for his lackluster batting in T20 international games, especially during the T20 World Cup in Australia last year.

It wouldn’t be incorrect to suggest that Dean Elgar’s game was impacted by the captaincy since the batter was unsure whether to attack or protect. According to rumors, Justin Sammons, who worked under former Head Coach Mark Boucher, would be replaced as the batting coach by JP Duminy.

“We trust he [Bavuma] will deliver on all our expectations and help carry the team forward after some excellent work by his predecessor Dean during the same period,” Enoch Nkwe, CSA’s director of cricket, said. “I also want to personally congratulate Dean for his dedication to the position over the previous two years. He assisted the team in navigating some choppy waters and helped them position themselves favorably on the ICC World Test Championship standings.

Temba Bavuma recently defeated England in the ODI Series with a score of 2-1 thanks to the captain’s wise choices. Aiden Markram’s presence gives the Proteas a major boost because he is a player who can hold one end and build on a start. The CSA would like to see Bavuma transition his form to the Test arena.

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