Temba Bavuma

Groundbreaking Temba Bavuma has the distinction of being the first black man to captain a South African cricket team and the first to score a Test century for them. He is currently captain of their limited-overs team and vice-captain of the Test team. To date, he has played in over 50 Test Matches, scoring over 2,600 runs. He was presented with the Award of Excellence at the 2017 Cricket South Africa Awards.

Bavuma was born in May 1990 in a changing South Africa — Nelson Mandela had finally been released from prison just three months previously. The Cape Town township of Langa where he grew up also had a strong cricket culture — he grew up on the same street as fellow cricketers Thami Tsolekile and Malusi Siboto. He made his domestic cricket debut in 2008 and by 2012, he had made enough of an impression to win a place in the international team. He made his Test debut two years later, in December 2014 and in January 2016, he became the first black player to score a Test century for South Africa. Later that year, he made his ODI debut and scored a century to celebrate.

In May 2021, Bavuma made history when he was named captain of the South African limited-overs side, taking over the reins from Quinton de Kock. His appointment makes him the first black man to be permanently appointed as a South African captain. But with the cricket world now up and running properly again after the pandemic, Bavuma is more excited about upcoming international tournaments where his main aim will be to guide his country to victory.