It’s not often a teenager scores a Test half-century for South Africa, and when Lhuan-dre Pretorius reached that mark during the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo over the weekend, it was the first time in 61 years.
At 19 years and 93 days, Pretorius became the youngest to ever achieve the feat for South Africa, beating out the legendary Graeme Pollock who held the previous record when he achieved the feat at 19 years and 317 days in 1964.
The big-hitting left-hander was not yet, though, as he went on to become the youngest-ever Test player to score 150 or over, beating another legend – Sachin Tendulkar. When he was finally out for 153, Pretorius had faced just 160 ball as he struck 11 fours and six maximums.
It’s also quite incredible that Pretorius achieved all that on his Test debut. Codi Yusuf and Dewald Brevis made it three debutants in the match.
Pretorius’s Rise: From SA Schools to T20 Explosiveness
Those are some big names Pretorius knocked off their respective perches, and for many the performances of the southpaw do not come as a surprise.
Pretorius rose up through the SA schools system and already made his List A debut in September 2023.
Since then, Pretorius has established himself as an explosive hitter in the T20 format, most notably with his stunning displays in the SA20 earlier this year. In 12 matches for the Paarl Royals, Pretorius bludgeoned 397 runs at a strike rate of 166 with three fifties and a highest score of 97.
As South Africa have already begun their second innings after two days of cricket as they lead by 216 runs, if Pretorius comes in to bat at number five again, it won’t be surprising if he breaks more records.
@Michael_Sherman
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