From time to time, cricket produces a name totally out of nowhere that makes you sit up and take notice. Lhuan-dre Pretorius just did that—and then some. At just 19 years and 93 days, the young South African left-hander did not just announce himself with a fifty on debut; he obliterated a 61-year-old national record and topped it up with a maiden test century. And that against Zimbabwe, in conditions that were anything but easy. Going from a debut to remember to rewriting history, Pretorius is now the talk of South African cricket—and this is just the beginning.
A Debut to Remember: Breaking Pollock’s Record
Pretorius became the youngest South African male cricketer to score a Test fifty, breaking a record that has stood since 1964, held by an exceptional great, Graeme Pollock. Pollock was 19 years 317 days when he scored his fifty. Do we need to say more? What about Pretorius, he comes in at 19 years 93 days, which is 224 days younger than Pollock.
And it was not a cruise to fifty. When he walked in, South Africa were in trouble at 55/4, Zimbabwe’s bowlers were in the mood, and the pitch at Bulawayo Sports Club was doing a bit too. However, he had ice in his veins and got off the mark with a classy square drive, then settled into his rhythm nicely. He eased to fifty with a clever single off Masekesa – quiet, unassuming, but representative of someone showing maturity beyond his age.
Century Class: From Trouble to Triumph
If fifty left individuals awe struck, one hundred left individuals were dumb founded. Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dre Pretorius forged an astonishing partnership of 95 that not only settled the tension but turned this game into a walk in the park.
Brevis departed for a very respectable 51, but Pretorius was on a mission. The young man kept his cool. He rotated wherever the rotation was available, pushed anything carefree to the boundary, and found gaps as if he had been doing it for years. And then it came, in the 50th over, a single off Wellington Masakadza, and there was pandemonium in the dressing room. He had done it. Debut Century.
A Glimpse into South Africa’s Next-Gen Talent Surge
Pretorius wasn’t the only one making their debut. Brevis and Codi Yusuf, who bowl medium pace, also got their first Test caps in the same match as Pretorius. Three debutants in one match – that sends a strong message from the Proteas: the rebuild is on, and youth is being embraced.
The thing that most impressed me about Pretorius was not just his batting. It was his temperament. He didn’t slog it, he didn’t panic, he didn’t force it. He played good, proper Test match cricket – he left the deliveries he should have left well alone, he nudged into the gaps cleverly, and his punishment of the bad ball stood out. As the landscape of Test cricket continues to change, players able to combine a little bit of flair in their batting with a little bit of discipline, like Pretorius, are a rarity in this age of T20 cricket.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius just reminded all of us how nice it is to see a proper Test match innings. In an era of instant gratification and T20 superstars, Pretorious broke records, saved his team, and most importantly, maybe gave a strong case for South African cricket’s next big thing. At 19 years old, he is arguably already a part of cricketing folklore.
The question now, however, is whether he can become a mainstay and lead South African cricket into the next phase? Because if Day 1 of a Test career is anything to go by, we certainly haven’t seen the best of Pretorius yet.
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