To become the captain of a team in international cricket is the dream of every cricketer. The players aim to achieve this position because they become the face of their nations at the global stage. Test cricket is considered the purest format of the sport, which is why a majority the players have the target of becoming their nation’s Test captain one day.
However, not all captains achieve equal success. Some players become better under the pressure of captaincy, whereas a few others succumb under the pressure and fail to bring their natural game to the table. In the long history of this format, there have been four such players who got out for a duck twice in their debut as Test captain.
1. South Africa’s new Test captain – Temba Bavuma
Temba Bavuma 0(1), 0(2)
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) March 1, 2023
Total of 3 balls faced is the lowest by any captain batting twice in a Test match. (where data available)
Not a great start to captaincy career.#SAvWI
Temba Bavuma became the skipper of South Africa ahead of their home WTC series against the West Indies cricket team in 2023. Bavuma returned with scores of 0(1) and 0(2) in his first two knocks as skipper at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
2. Former Bangladesh captain – Habibul Bashar
Habibul Bashar was the skipper of Bangladesh cricket team for a long time. Even he had a forgettable debut as skipper, as he returned with scores of 0 and 0 against Zimbabwe in 2004.
3. Mark Taylor
Former Australian cricket team skipper Mark Taylor played his first Test as a leader against the Pakistan cricket team in Karachi. Like Bashar and Bavuma, Taylor recorded two ducks in his first Test as a skipper.
4. Rashid Latif
Rashid Latif played only six Tests as skipper of Pakistan. In his first Test as skipper, Latif got out for 0 & 0 at the St. George’s Park against the South African cricket team in 1998.
