South Africa’s Pretorius smashes Gayle’s T20 cricket record score

What the report says

South African batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius set a new benchmark in men’s T20 cricket on Friday in Bloemfontein, according to Al Jazeera, finishing unbeaten on 188 from 79 balls for the Titans against the Knights in the CSA Challenge. The innings broke the previous T20 record of 175 held by Chris Gayle, which had stood since 2013. Pretorius, a 20-year-old left-hander, opened the batting and produced a power-heavy knock that included 13 sixes and 14 fours.

Al Jazeera reported that Pretorius reached 50 in 24 deliveries, moved to his century after another 16 balls, and then needed 18 more to get to 150. The article said he also matched the record for most balls faced in a T20 innings, equaling Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis. His effort dominated the Titans’ innings, with the next-highest score being Sinethemba Qeshile’s 14.

The Titans posted 267-3, the second-highest total in the competition’s history, and then bowled out the Knights for 143 to win by 124 runs. The report also noted that Pretorius has now played for South Africa in all three international formats and arrived for this match after a productive series in Namibia in September. More broadly, the innings underlined the growing impact of the young batter in domestic and international cricket.