South Africa is one of the strongest teams in cricket and is known for its competitiveness and never-say-die attitude. South Africa has produced some incredible players over the years and has also had some brilliant captains. The captains, in particular, have instilled a deep sense of fighting spirit in the South African team, which makes them one of the most competitive teams in world cricket. The following article names some of South Africa’s best captains in One-Day International (ODI) matches and their respective achievements.

1. Hansie Cronje 

Hansie Cronje, a premier all-rounder for South Africa in the 1990s and an outstanding captain, is the first to appear on the list. Cronje was a right-handed batter and a right-arm medium bowler. He debuted in ODIs in 1992 against Australia in Sydney and then, in 1994, captained the South African team for the first time. In 138 matches as captain, he won 95, lost 35, tied one, and three games ended in no result, with an impressive win percentage of 73.70.

2. Graeme Smith 

Graeme Smith, a left-handed opening batter from Johannesburg, is hands down one of South Africa’s most cherished and celebrated players. At a time when the South African team was reeling under its worst period ever, Smith became South Africa's ODI captain in 2003. His numbers as a captain are exceptional, but that alone cannot describe the huge impact he has had on the South African team. In 149 ODIs he captained, the team won 92, lost 51, and tied one, for a win percentage of 64.23.

3. Shaun Pollock 

 Shaun Pollock is one of South Africa’s best all-rounders and is next to feature on the list. Pollock has over 3500 ODI runs and close to 400 wickets. He became South Africa’s ODI captain in 2000, when Hansie Cronje had to step down as captain due to match-fixing charges. Pollock captained the team in 92 ODIs, winning 59, losing 29, and tying three with a win percentage of 66.48.

4. Abraham Benjamin De Villiers 

Next, we have one of cricket’s most loved players and popularly known as Mister 360, Ab de Villiers. Villiers was a right-handed wicketkeeper batter who loved to play his shots and always looked for runs. He was South Africa’s ODI captain from 2012 to 2017 in 103 matches, winning 59, losing 39, and tying one, with four games ending in no result.

5. Francois Du Plessis 

Next on the list we have Faf du Pelessis, an unorthodox right-handed middle-order batter from Pretoria. In 2011, he made his ODI debut against India at Cape Town. In 2013, he captained the South African ODI team for the first time. Under his captaincy tenure, South Africa won 28 out of 39 ODIs with a win percentage of 73.68.

6. Kepler Wessels 

 Kepler Wessels, a left-handed opening batter for South Africa, is the next to show up on the list. Wessels also represented Australia on the international stage but came back to play for his native land. In 1992, he was the captain of the ODI team and led it in 52 matches until 1994. Under his captaincy reign, the team won 20, lost 30, and two games resulted in no result.

7. Temba Bavuma 

 Temba Bavuma is one of the most recent South African captains on the list. Bavuma is a right-handed middle-order batter from Cape Town, Cape Province. He captained the ODI team for the first time in 2021 and has led in 13 matches until now. The team has had a decent record under his leadership, winning and losing six games each.

8. Jacques Kallis 

 At number eight we have South Africa’s and the world’s most successful all-rounder, Jacques Kallis. Kallis's records and achievements are known to one and all. He was South Africa’s ODI captain in 13 matches from 2006 to 2010, winning six, losing six, and one game ending in no result, with a win percentage of 50.

9. Johan Botha

Johan Botha, a right-arm off-break bowler from Johannesburg, is the next and only spinner to feature on the list. Botha started playing ODI cricket in 2005 and captained the team in ten matches from 2008 to 2010. In the ten games he captained, the team won eight and lost two, for a win percentage of 80.

10. Hashim Amla 

 Hashim Amla is a former right-handed top-order batter from Durban. Amla is one of the best batters that South Africa has produced. He scored over 8000 ODI runs in 181 matches at an average of 49.46 with 27 centuries to his name. He was never a first-choice captain for South Africa but led the team as a stand-in captain in nine matches, winning four and losing five.