Former Australian cricketer Kerry O’Keeffe picked out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Lhuan-dre Pretorius among his top three teenage stars in world cricket today.
England’s 17-year-old Thomas Rew was O’Keeffe’s other pick in the top three.
“To name the best three teenagers in world cricket at the moment, I had a look at a few of them, and I had Pretorius inside the trifecta behind Sooryavanshi – the 14-year-old Indian – and Thomas Rew – the 17-year-old Englishman,” Kerry O’Keeffe said while on commentary duty during the second match of the AUS vs SA 2025 T20 series.
“When I watch tapes of Lhuan-dre Pretorius, I think he’s inside the top three. When he’s going, it’s a sight."
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Both Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 14, and 19-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who were a part of the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025, have been turning heads on the global cricket stage in recent months.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi announced himself to the cricketing world in IPL 2025 when he became the youngest centurion in the history of the tournament after hammering a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans.
He finished IPL 2025 with 252 runs in seven matches at a stunning strike rate of 206.56 and won the Super Striker of the Season award.
After his IPL exploits, Vaibhav amassed 355 runs in five matches in the India U19 vs England U19 Youth ODI 2025 series.
He also smashed 143 off just 78 balls in the fourth Youth ODI to become the youngest centurion in the format’s history.
The hard-hitting southpaw will next feature for the India U19 squad on their tour of Australia, beginning September 21.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, meanwhile, burst onto the international scene by becoming the youngest South African to score a Test century, achieving the feat against Zimbabwe.
Pretorius broke the long-standing South African record held by Graeme Pollock, who was 19 years and 317 days old when he scored 122 against Australia in Sydney in 1964.
It also made him just the seventh South African to make a Test hundred on debut and the first since Stephen Cook in 2016.
He went on to make 153 off 160 balls in the innings and also became the youngest player in Test history to make 150 on debut at just 19 years and 93 days.
