On September 27, 2026, at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, Temba Bavuma reached his sixth ODI century as South Africa’s captain and tied Faf du Plessis’ record with 103 runs off 116 balls in the second ODI against Australia.
Bavuma hit two sixes and ten fours throughout his knock. His innings gave South Africa, who were leading the 2026–27 ODI series 1-0 going into the second game, a commanding lead in the contest.
Bavuma’s 156-run partnership with David Miller at the fourth wicket was a crucial aspect of his innings. That stand highlights how crucial both hitters were to the innings at The Wanderers and is the biggest ODI partnership for South Africa versus Australia in home games. The stand was a pivotal point in the series because Bavuma’s methodical approach over 116 balls allowed him to anchor the innings while Miller supplied the impetus required to take the partnership past previous records.
What is Bavuma’s record in relation to other South African captains?
Temba is now tied with Faf du Plessis, who also struck five hundreds while captaining South Africa in the format, with five ODI hundreds. As of right now, the two are tied for third place among South Africa’s all-time ODI captains.
Graeme Smith, who finished second on that list and made eight ODI hundreds while captaining South Africa, is seated above them. With 13 hundreds during his tenure as captain of South Africa, AB de Villiers holds the record for the most ODI hundreds.
With Smith and de Villiers being the only South African captains to have scored more ODI hundreds in the position, Bavuma’s success at The Wanderers puts him alongside du Plessis in the record books. The accomplishment is a testament to Bavuma’s ability to consistently score runs at the top of the order while also taking on the role of captain.
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Bavuma and Miller’s 156-run fourth-wicket partnership is South Africa’s best ODI partnership against Australia at home. The record demonstrates how the two hitters worked together to score a challenging total for the visitors at The Wanderers and take the innings deep.
The partnership record gives Bavuma’s century even more significance because it was part of a record-breaking stand for South Africa in this match in addition to being a personal achievement. On September 27, 2026, both the partnership mark and the individual century total were set in the same innings.
Temba’s century and the Bavuma-Miller stand proved to be the home team’s pivotal moments in the match, which was set against the backdrop of South Africa’s 1-0 series advantage going into the second ODI.
