Lhuan-dre Pretorius rewrote the record books in Bloemfontein on Friday, October 2, posting an unbeaten 188 off 79 deliveries for the Titans against the Knights in the CSA T20 Challenge.
The 20-year-old opener’s innings is now the highest individual score in men’s T20 cricket, and he came within 12 runs of what would have been the format’s first double-century.
The previous record belonged to Chris Gayle, who had struck 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a 2013 IPL fixture against the now-defunct Pune Warriors. That mark had survived for well over a decade before Pretorius, registering his third T20 hundred, swept it aside with a breathtaking display of clean hitting.
Pretorius, a left-handed opener, punished the Knights attack to the tune of 13 sixes and 15 fours. Every bowler in the Knights line-up conceded at an economy rate of 11 or higher. The Titans posted 267 for 3, the second-highest total in CSA T20 Challenge history. The competition’s all-time highest team score is also held by the Titans, 271 for 3, set against the same opponents in 2022. The franchise now owns all five of the loftiest team totals in the competition’s records.
How quickly did Pretorius reach each milestone?
Pretorius wasted no time in imposing himself on the match. He reached his fifty off just 24 deliveries, then required only 16 more balls to bring up a century, arriving at three figures off 40 balls in total. The 150-mark came off 58 deliveries, and he carried on to finish on 188 not out off 79 balls.
In doing so, Pretorius also equalled the record for the longest innings in men’s T20 cricket measured by balls faced, joining Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis on 79 deliveries. The knock was his 91st appearance in T20 cricket, a format in which he carries a career strike rate of 150.44.
What form did Pretorius bring into this record-breaking match?
Saturday’s game was Pretorius’ first outing of the 2026-27 CSA T20 Challenge season, yet he arrived in sharp touch. In September, he had scored 94 and 101 in consecutive matches against Zimbabwe and Namibia respectively during a tri-series, confirming his ability to score heavily at the top of the order across different conditions.
The 2022 Titans versus Knights fixture that still holds the competition’s highest team total was also the match in which Dewald Brevis struck 162, the previous record for the highest individual score in the CSA T20 Challenge. Pretorius has now claimed that individual record as well, giving the Titans a firm grip on the competition’s most significant batting landmarks. Pretorius has played just 22 internationals across all formats, making his dominance of the domestic T20 record books all the more striking.