Lhuan-dre Pretorius has broken Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the highest individual score in men’s T20 cricket. The South African opener smashed an unbeaten 188 for the Titans against the Knights in the CSA T20 Challenge, surpassing Gayle’s 175 not out from 2013.
The CSA T20 Challenge opener was played at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Friday, October 2. Titans posted 267/3 before bowling Knights out for 143 in 17.2 overs to win by 124 runs. Pretorius starred with an unbeaten 188 off 79 balls, hitting 15 fours and 13 sixes.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius Surpasses Chris Gayle’s T20 Record
Lhuan-dre Pretorius attacked from the opening overs and reached his half-century in just 24 balls. He needed only another 16 deliveries to bring up his century before accelerating further to reach 150 in 58 balls.
He surpassed Gayle’s unbeaten 175 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Pune Warriors India in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013. Gayle’s record had stood for more than 13 years.
Pretorius finished just 12 runs short of becoming the first batter to score a double-century in men’s T20 cricket. He also equalled the record for the most balls faced in a men’s T20 innings, with Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis having also faced 79 deliveries.
Highest Individual Scores in Men's T20 Cricket:
Lhuan-dre Pretorius – 188* (Titans vs Knights, 2026)
Chris Gayle – 175* (RCB vs PWI, 2013)
Aaron Finch – 172 (Australia vs Zimbabwe, 2018)
Hamza Khan – 164* (Rwanda vs Ivory Coast, 2026)
Karanbir Singh – 164 (Austria vs Hungary, 2026)
Titans Post 267/3 as Pretorius Breaks Brevis’ Record
Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Sinethemba Qeshile gave the Titans a flying start, putting together 100 runs in little more than seven overs. Qeshile was dismissed for 14 off 10 balls, while Dewald Brevis and Leus du Plooy also departed cheaply for 7 and 17, respectively.
The opener continued attacking the Knights bowlers and moved past Brevis’ previous CSA T20 Challenge record of 162. Captain Donovan Ferreira provided support at the other end late in the innings, smashing an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls.
The Titans finished on 267/3, their second-highest total in the competition. Their 271/3 against the Knights in 2022 remains the highest CSA T20 Challenge total.
The Knights needed 268 to win but made a quick start through Jacques Snyman and Gihahn Cloete, who added 33 runs in the first two overs. Snyman scored 32 off 12 balls before falling off the first delivery of the third over.
The dismissal triggered a collapse, and the Knights were eventually bowled out for 143 in 17.2 overs. The Titans therefore completed a 124-run victory.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius Continues Rapid Rise in South African Cricket
Lhuan-dre Pretorius was born on March 27, 2006, in Potchefstroom and first attracted major attention at the 2024 Under-19 World Cup, where he finished as South Africa’s leading run-scorer. The southpaw scored 397 runs for Paarl Royals in the 2025 SA20 season.
He earned an IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals and a Test debut for South Africa against Zimbabwe in 2025. In only his second Test innings, he scored 153 and became the youngest player in men’s Test cricket to reach 150, doing so at 19 years and 93 days.
Despite having played only 22 internationals across formats, Lhuan-dre Pretorius has already featured in 91 T20 matches. He has maintained a career strike rate of 150.44 in the format. He recently recorded scores of 94 and 101 for South Africa against Zimbabwe and Namibia.
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