Zimbabwe all-rounder Jonathan Campbell has become the 36th player in history to captain a side on men's Test debut, when he stepped up to the plate against Ireland in Bulawayo today (February 6).
Campbell was awarded his debut Test cap before play by his father, Alastair Campbell, who captained Zimbabwe in the 1990s and early 2000s. Having already made his T20I debut, the younger Campbell was included in Zimbabwe's Boxing Day Test match squad to face Afghanistan last year, but was not selected for the final XI.
Why was Campbell given captaincy?
After being selected for the match against Ireland, Campbell was handed another honour, when he was asked to captain the side. Zimbabwe's regular captain is Craig Ervine, who has led Zimbabwe in six Tests since 2020.
However, it was announced at the toss that Ervine had withdrawn from the match due to a family emergency, leaving Campbell to captain the side, including filling in for Ervine at the toss opposite Ireland's Andrew Balbirnie.
According to Zimbabwe Cricket's official X account, Campbell was chosen as captain in light of being "a proven leader at domestic level". Campbell has featured in first-class matches for Zimbabwe A, as well as in Zimbabwe's domestic competitions for Southern Rocks. However, he has never previously captained a professional side.
🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine has withdrawn from the one-off Test against Ireland due to a family emergency. Johnathan Campbell, making his Test debut, will lead the side. A proven leader at the domestic level, Campbell brings exciting energy and has been… pic.twitter.com/T4cqGji4a3
— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) February 6, 2025
Campbell is the 36th player to captain a men's Test side on debut, the most recent being Neil Brand, who captained South Africa on their tour of New Zealand last year. The most recent player from Zimbabwe to be named captain on their Test debut was Dave Houghton in 1992, who led the side in a draw against India in Harare. Houghton went on to play 22 Test matches for Zimbabwe, including four as captain.
After Ireland lost the toss and were put into field, they got off to a fast start. Blessing Muzarabani took four wickets in his first five overs of the day, which combined with Richard Ngarava's wicket of Curtis Campher to leave Ireland 31-5 in the morning session.
*photo credit @ZimCrickettv
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