Alistair and Johnathan Campbell are only the fourth father-son duo to captain in Test cricket.
Regular captain Craig Ervine’s withdrawal from the Test match against Ireland at Bulawayo prompted Zimbabwe to find a replacement. For that, they appointed Johnathan Campbell, who has played nine T20Is but neither Test cricket nor ODIs.
Johnathan became the 13th to lead Zimbabwe in the format, and joined a rare group of cricketers who captained on Test debut. He got the cap from his father Alistair, who had led Zimbabwe 21 times – the joint-most for the nation, along with Heath Streak – between 1996 and 2002.
The Campbells joined the small group of four families that have produced father-son combinations who have led their respective countries at Test cricket.
Who were the first father-son combination to lead their teams in Test cricket?
The list began with the Manns of Middlesex. Frank (FT) Mann led England in his only five Test matches, all of them on the 1922-23 tour of South Africa. His son George (FG) led in all seven of his Tests as well – five in South Africa in 1948-49 and two at home against New Zealand in 1948-49. During the fifth Test of the South Africa tour, George was in trouble against local spinner “Tufty” Mann, of no known relation. That prompted John Arlott to paraphrase Robert Burns’s famous quote on air to “Mann’s inhumanity to Mann”.
Having played three Tests for England in the Bodyline series of 1932-33, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi’s Test career resumed in 1946 – as captain of India. His son Mansur took over as India captain halfway through the 1961-62 tour of the West Indies, when a horrific injury to a rising ball from Charlie Griffith brought Nari Contractor’s Test career to an abrupt end. The youngest Test captain at that point, Mansur went on to lead India for the rest of the decade and returned for a short stint in 1974-75.
Colin Cowdrey, the first cricketer to play a hundred Test matches, stepped in for Peter May and Ted Dexter a few times in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He led England several times in the 1960s, punctuated by stints from MJK Smith, Brian Close, and Tom Graveney. His son Chris led England once in their “Summer of of Four Captains” of 1988.
Father and son leading in Test cricket
| Family | Father | Stint as captain | Son | Stint as captain | Team |
| Mann | Frank | 5 Tests (1922-23) | George | 7 Tests (1948-49) | England |
| Pataudi | Iftikhar Ali Khan | 3 Tests (1946) | Mansur Ali Khan | 40 Tests (1961-75) | India |
| Cowdrey | Colin | 27 Tests (1959-69) | Chris | 1 Test (1988) | England |
| Campbell | Alistair | 21 Tests (1996-2002) | Johnathan | 1 Test (2025) | Zimbabwe |
