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 cricket.

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 by 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 are italicised below. South Africa rejoined the ICC, and resumed playing official Test cricket, in 1991.

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. 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.

South African Test match captains Number Image Name Season 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 Biddy 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 Report Australia South Africa 3 0 1 2 1922–23 Report England South Africa 5 1 2 2 1924 Report England England 5 0 3 2 Total 18 1 10 7 13 Nummy Deane 1927–28 Report England South Africa 5 2 2 1 1929 Report England England 5 0 2 3 1930–31 Report England South Africa 2 0 0 2 Total 12 2 4 6 14 Buster Nupen 1930–31† Report England South Africa 1 1 0 0 15 Jock Cameron 1930–31 Report England South Africa 2 0 0 2 1931–32 Report Australia Australia 5 0 5 0 1931–32 Report New Zealand New Zealand 2 2 0 0 Total 9 2 5 2 16 Herbie Wade 1935 Report England England 5 1 0 4 1935–36 Report Australia South Africa 5 0 4 1 Total 10 1 4 5 17 Alan Melville 1938–39 Report England South Africa 5 0 1 4 1947 Report England England 5 0 3 2 Total 10 0 4 6 18 Dudley Nourse 1948–49 Report England South Africa 5 0 2 3 1949–50 Report Australia South Africa 5 0 4 1 1951 Report England England 5 1 3 1 Total 15 1 9 5 19 Jack Cheetham 1952–53 Report Australia Australia 5 2 2 1 1952–53 Report New Zealand New Zealand 2 1 0 1 1953–54 Report New Zealand South Africa 5 4 0 1 1955 Report England England 3 0 3 0 Total 15 7 5 3 20 Jackie McGlew 1955† Report England England 2 2 0 0 1956–57† Report England South Africa 1 0 1 0 1957–58† Report Australia South Africa 1 0 0 1 1960 Report England England 5 0 3 2 1961–62 Report New Zealand South Africa 5 2 2 1 Total 14 4 6 4 21 Clive van Ryneveld 1956–57 Report England South Africa 4 2 1 1 1957–58 Report Australia South Africa 4 0 3 1 Total 8 2 4 2 22 Trevor Goddard 1963–64 Report Australia Australia 5 1 1 3 1963–64 Report New Zealand New Zealand 3 0 0 3 1964–65 Report England South Africa 5 0 1 4 Total 13 1 2 10 23 Peter van der Merwe 1965 Report England England 3 1 0 2 1966–67 Report Australia South Africa 5 3 1 1 Total 8 4 1 3 24 Ali Bacher 1969–70 Report Australia South Africa 4 4 0 0 - Mike Procter 1981–82 Report England South Africa 3 1 0 2 - Peter Kirsten 1982–83 Report Sri Lanka South Africa 2 2 0 0 1982–83 Report West Indies South Africa 2 1 1 0 1983–84 Report West Indies South Africa 2 1 0 1 Total 6 4 1 1 - Clive Rice 1983–84† Report West Indies South Africa 2 0 2 0 1985–86 Report Australia South Africa 3 1 0 2 1986–87 Report Australia South Africa 4 1 0 3 Total 9 2 2 5 - Jimmy Cook 1989–90 Report England South Africa 1 1 0 0 25 Kepler Wessels 1991–92 Report West Indies West Indies 1 0 1 0 1992–93 Report India South Africa 4 1 0 3 1993–94 Report Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 3 1 0 2 1993–94 Report Australia Australia 2 1 0 1 1993–94 Report Australia South Africa 3 1 1 1 1994 Report England England 3 1 1 1 Total 16 5 3 8 26 Hansie Cronje 1993–94† Report Australia Australia 1 0 1 0 1994–95 Report New Zealand South Africa 3 2 1 0 1994–95 Report Pakistan South Africa 1 1 0 0 1994–95 Report New Zealand New Zealand 1 1 0 0 1995–96 Report Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 1 1 0 0 1995–96 Report England South Africa 5 1 0 4 1996–97 Report India India 3 1 2 0 1996–97 Report India South Africa 3 2 0 1 1996–97 Report Australia South Africa 3 1 2 0 1997–98 Report Pakistan Pakistan 3 1 0 2 1997–98 Report Australia Australia 3 0 1 2 1997–98 Report Pakistan South Africa 2 1 1 0 1997–98 Report Sri Lanka South Africa 2 2 0 0 1998 Report England England 5 1 2 2 1998–99 Report West Indies South Africa 5 5 0 0 1998–99 Report New Zealand New Zealand 3 1 0 2 1999–2000 Report Zimbabwe South Africa 1 1 0 0 1999–2000 Report Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 1 1 0 0 1999–2000 Report England South Africa 5 2 1 2 1999–2000 Report India India 2 2 0 0 Total 53 27 11 15 27 Gary Kirsten 1997–98† Report Pakistan South Africa 1 0 0 1 28 Shaun Pollock 2000–01 Report Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 3 1 1 1 2000–01 Report New Zealand South Africa 3 2 0 1 2000–01 Report Sri Lanka South Africa 3 2 0 1 2000–01 Report West Indies West Indies 5 2 1 2 2001–02 Report Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 2 1 0 1 2001–02 Report India South Africa 2 1 0 1 2001–02 Report Australia Australia 3 0 3 0 2002–03 Report Bangladesh South Africa 1 1 0 0 2002–03 Report Sri Lanka South Africa 2 2 0 0 2002–03 Report Pakistan South Africa 2 2 0 0 Total 26 14 5 7 29 Mark Boucher 2001–02 Report Australia South Africa 3 1 2 0 2002–03† Report Bangladesh South Africa 1 1 0 0 Total 4 2 2 0 30 Graeme Smith 2003 Report Bangladesh Bangladesh 2 2 0 0 2003 Report England England 5 2 2 1 2003–04 Report Pakistan Pakistan 2 0 1 1 2003–04 Report West Indies South Africa 4 3 0 1 2003–04 Report New Zealand New Zealand 3 1 1 1 2004 Report Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 2 0 1 1 2004–05 Report India India 2 0 1 1 2004–05 Report England South Africa 5 1 2 2 2004–05 Report Zimbabwe South Africa 2 2 0 0 2005 Report 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 Report India South Africa 3 2 1 0 2006–07 Report Pakistan South Africa 3 2 1 0 2007–08 Report Pakistan Pakistan 2 1 0 1 2007–08 Report New Zealand South Africa 2 2 0 0 2007–08 Report West Indies South Africa 3 2 1 0 2007–08 Report Bangladesh Bangladesh 2 2 0 0 2007–08 Report India India 3 1 1 1 2008 Report England England 4 2 1 1 2008–09 Report Bangladesh South Africa 2 2 0 0 2008–09 Report Australia Australia 3 2 1 0 2008–09 Report Australia South Africa 2 0 2 0 2009–10 Report England South Africa 4 1 1 2 2009–10 Report India India 2 1 1 0 2010 Report West Indies West Indies 3 2 0 1 2010–11 Report Pakistan United Arab Emirates 2 0 0 2 2010–11 Report India South Africa 3 1 1 1 2011–12 Report Australia South Africa 2 1 1 0 2011–12 Report Sri Lanka South Africa 3 2 1 0 2011–12 Report New Zealand New Zealand 3 1 0 2 2012 Report England England 3 2 0 1 2012–13 Report Australia Australia 3 1 0 2 2012–13 Report New Zealand South Africa 2 2 0 0 2012–13 Report Pakistan South Africa 3 3 0 0 2013–14 Report Pakistan United Arab Emirates 2 1 1 0 2013–14 Report India South Africa 2 1 0 1 2013–14 Report Australia South Africa 3 1 2 0 Total 108 53 28 27 31 Jacques Kallis 2005–06† Report Australia South Africa 1 0 1 0 2008–09† Report 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 33 Hashim Amla 2014 Report Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 2 1 0 1 2014 Report Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 1 1 0 0 2014–15 Report West Indies South Africa 3 2 0 1 2015 Report Bangladesh Bangladesh 2 0 0 2 2015–16 Report India India 4 0 3 1 2015–16 Report England South Africa 2 0 1 1 Total 14 4 4 6 34 AB de Villiers 2015–16 Report England South Africa 2 1 1 0 2017–18† Report Zimbabwe South Africa 1 1 0 0 Total 3 2 1 0 35 Faf du Plessis 2016† Report New Zealand South Africa 2 1 0 1 2016–17† Report Australia Australia 3 2 1 0 2016–17 Report Sri Lanka South Africa 3 3 0 0 2016–17 Report New Zealand New Zealand 3 1 0 2 2017 Report England England 3 1 2 0 2017–18 Report Bangladesh South Africa 2 2 0 0 2017–18 Report India South Africa 3 2 1 0 2017–18 Report Australia South Africa 4 3 1 0 2018 Report Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 2 0 2 0 2018–19 Report Pakistan South Africa 2 2 0 0 2018–19 Report Sri Lanka South Africa 2 0 2 0 2019–20 Report India India 3 0 3 0 2019–20 Report England South Africa 4 1 3 0 Total 361815 3 36 Dean Elgar 2017† Report England England 1 0 1 0 2018–19† Report Pakistan South Africa 1 1 0 0 2021 Report West Indies West Indies 2 2 0 0 2021–22 Report India South Africa 3 2 1 0 2021–22 Report New Zealand New Zealand 2 1 1 0 2021–22 Report Bangladesh South Africa 2 2 0 0 2022 Report England England 3 1 2 0 2022–23 Report Australia Australia 3 0 2 1 2023–24†ReportIndiaSouth Africa1010 Total 19 9 8 1 37 Quinton de Kock 2020–21 Report Sri Lanka South Africa 2 2 0 0 2020–21 Report Pakistan Pakistan 2 0 2 0 Total 4 2 2 038Temba Bavuma2023ReportWest IndiesSouth Africa22002023–24ReportIndiaSouth Africa11002024ReportWest IndiesWest Indies21012024ReportSri LankaSouth Africa22002024-25ReportPakistanSouth Africa22002025 (WTC Final)ReportAustraliaEngland11002025–26ReportIndiaIndia2200Total12110139Neil Brand2023–24ReportNew ZealandNew Zealand202040Aiden Markram2024–25ReportBangladeshBangladesh22002025–26ReportPakistanPakistan2110Total431041Keshav Maharaj2025ReportZimbabweZimbabwe110042Wiann Mulder2025ReportZimbabweZimbabwe1100 Grand total 479191162 126 Last Updated: 26 November 2025

One Day International captains This is a complete list of cricketers who have captained South Africa in at least one One Day International. Updated on 1 March 2025.

South African ODI captainsNumberNamePeriod of captaincyPlayedWonLostTiedNo result% won 1 Clive Rice 1991 3 1 2 0 0 33.33 2 Kepler Wessels 1992–1994 52 20 30 0 2 40.00 3 Hansie Cronje 1994–2000 138 99 35 1 3 73.70 4 Shaun Pollock 2000–2005 92 59 29 3 1 66.48 5 Graeme Smith 2003–2011 149 92 51 1 5 64.23 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 2006–2010 13 6 6 0 1 50.00 9 Johan Botha 2008–2010 10 8 2 0 0 80.00 10 Hashim Amla 2011–2015 9 4 5 0 0 44.44 11 AB de Villiers 2012–2017 103 59 39 1 4 60.10 12 Faf du Plessis 2013–2019 39 28 10 0 1 73.68 13 Aiden Markram 2018–2025 15 7 8 0 0 46.66 14 Quinton de Kock 2018–2020 8 4 3 0 1 57.14 15 JP Duminy 2018 2 2 0 0 0 100.00 16 Temba Bavuma2021–present4122180155.00 17 Keshav Maharaj2021–20227230240.0018David Miller2022101000.0019Rassie van der Dussen2024101000.00 Grand total 664 403 234 6 21 60.69

Twenty20 International captains

This is a list of cricketers who have captained South Africa for at least one Twenty20 International.

Updated on 23 October 2021.