Pretorius Sets New T20 Benchmark with Unbeaten 188 for Titans

Lhuan-dre Pretorius produced a record-breaking performance for the Titans on Friday, scoring an unbeaten 188 against the Knights in the South African CSA Challenge in Bloemfontein.

The 20-year-old left-hander faced 79 deliveries and struck 13 sixes and 14 fours. His innings moved beyond Chris Gayle’s previous reported T20 record of 175, scored from 66 balls for Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League in 2013.

Rapid scoring in Bloemfontein

Pretorius reached 50 from 24 balls and needed only 16 further runs to complete his century. He then took another 18 deliveries to reach 150 before continuing to 188 without being dismissed.

His stay at the crease lasted the equivalent of more than 13 overs. According to figures cited from Cricinfo, Pretorius has a strike rate of 150.44 across 91 T20 games.

Sinethemba Qeshile was the Titans’ second-highest scorer with 14, underlining the scale of Pretorius’s contribution to the innings.

Titans post second-highest total

The Titans finished on 267-3, their second-highest total in the competition’s history. The only higher score was their 271 against the Kings in 2022.

Dewald Brevis had made 162 in that earlier innings, but scored seven in the latest match. Pretorius had entered the game after scoring 226 runs, tied with Brevis for the most, in a three-nation series in Namibia in September.

The Knights were bowled out for 143, giving the Titans a 124-run victory.

Pretorius was making his first Titans appearance of the season. He has also represented South Africa in all three international formats.