Who is Johnathan Campbell? 5 interesting facts about batter captaining Zimbabwe on Test debut in ZIM vs IRE 2025 Test

Test cricket witnessed one of its rarest scenes when 27-year-old Johnathan Campbell was suddenly made captain of Zimbabwe for the one-off Test against Ireland in Bulawayo, starting February 6. Making his Test debut for Zimbabwe, Campbell was handed the captaincy hat after regular skipper Craig Ervine withdrew due to a family emergency.

Zimbabwe Cricket confirmed the same on their X handle by posting:

"Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine has withdrawn from the one-off Test against Ireland due to a family emergency.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 in brilliant form."

Zimbabwe are searching for their first Test win since 2020/21 when they played Afghanistan to a 1-1 draw in a two-match affair. The African nation last won a home Test way back in 2013, leaving Campbell with a herculean task of overturning the script.

The two teams met last year in Ireland with the hosts winning the one-off Test by four wickets. Ireland have won the toss in the ongoing contest and elected to bat first. While they are struggling at 110/6 in their first innings, the cricketing world is buzzing about the unique occurrence of Campbell captaining the side on his Test debut.

On that note, here are five interesting facts about Zimbabwe's Test debutant and skipper Johnathan Campbell.

#1 Johnathan Campbell is the son of former Zimbabwe captain Alistair Campbell

Alistair Campbell is arguably Zimbabwe's greatest captain [Credit: Getty]

Until his Test debut and subsequent rise to captaincy, Johnathan Campbell rise to fame was thanks to his father, Alistair Campbell. Alistair Campbell is arguably Zimbabwe's greatest captain, having led the side during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The now-52-year-old captained a combined 107 matches across the Test and ODI formats from 1996 to 2002. Alistair Campbell remains Zimbabwe's most successful ODI captain, leading them to 30 wins in 86 matches.

The former left-hander also scored over 8,000 runs with nine centuries in his illustrious decade-long career.

#2 Second captain to lead his team on Test debut this century

Neil Brand made history by captaining South Africa in Tests last year [Credit: Getty]

Johnathan Campbell became only the second player to lead his side on Test debut this century (excluding a team's maiden Test) - evidence of the rarity of the feat. The first to do so was South Africa's Neil Brand in the two-Test series in New Zealand last year.

In Brand's case, he was made captain of the second-string South African side due to the regulars playing in the SA20 at the same time. Unfortunately, Brand had a forgettable outing with bat and as captain as he scored only seven runs across the two innings. The Proteas suffered a massive 281-run defeat to go down 0-1.

Campbell also became only the third player to captain on Test debut in the last 50 years (excluding a team's maiden Test), with New Zealand's Lee Germon (1995) and the above-mentioned Neil Brand being the others.

#3 Second Zimbabwean player ever to captain the Test side on debut

Houghton captained Zimbabwe in their first-ever Test [Credit: Getty]

Johnathan Campbell also became only the second Zimbabwean cricketer ever to captain his side on Test debut. The first to do that was former wicketkeeper David Houghton in Zimbabwe's first-ever Test against India in 1992.

The one-off Test in Harare saw Zimbabwe pull off a draw against a strong Indian outfit. Houghton had a Test match to remember, scoring a brilliant 121 at No.6 in Zimbabwe's first innings total of 456.

He also scored an unbeaten 41 in the second innings as Zimbabwe dominated most of the drawn outing. Houghton played 63 ODIs and 22 Tests for Zimbabwe, scoring almost 3,000 runs with five centuries.

#4 Johnathan Campbell top-scored with a blistering knock on his Zimbabwe debut

While Johnathan Campbell's Test debut is grabbing the headlines, thanks to his becoming the captain for the one-off game against Ireland, his overall international debut was a memorable affair as well.

The 27-year-old debuted for Zimbabwe in the second T20I of their Bangladesh tour last year. Coming in with the side reeling at 42/5, Campbell smashed a magnificent 24-ball 45, including four boundaries and three maximums, to help Zimbabwe reach a respectable 138/7 in 20 overs.

Unfortunately, his knock went in vain as Bangladesh completed the run-chase in the penultimate over with six wickets in hand.

Campbell has played eight T20Is since but his overall average of under 16 makes for an unimpressive reading following a sparkling debut.

#5 Centuries with the bat and five-wicket haul with the ball in domestic cricket

Johnathan Campbell has showcased his prowess with bat and ball in Zimbabwe's domestic circuit. The southpaw has scored almost 2,000 first-class runs with four centuries at an average of over 32 in 34 outings.

Campbell has also scored almost 1,400 runs in List-A cricket with an excellent average of 39.20. Yet, his leg-spin bowling has often gone under the radar despite 72 wickets across first-class and List-A cricket.

Campbell also has a five-wicket haul in List-A cricket and two four-wicket hauls - one each in first-class and List-A cricket.