Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored his maiden T20 century after smashing an unbeaten 102 off just 52 balls during San Francisco's nine-wicket win over New York in Dallas, USA, on Wednesday.
Chasing 144, the 20-year-old South African cricketer powered his side to 146/1 with 26 balls to spare, finally converting one of his many promising starts into a maiden hundred after previously scoring 14 T20 half-centuries.
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Pretorius set the tone from the very first over of the chase, taking on former Rajasthan Royals pacer Trent Boult with two fours and a six before helping his side race to 52 in the powerplay.
Even after the dismissal of opening partner Finn Allen, the left-hander continued to dominate the bowling. He reached his half-century in 30 balls with a six before accelerating further as the finish line approached.
Needing 25 more runs for his hundred with six overs remaining, Pretorius once again targeted Boult, striking four boundaries in one over before sealing both the victory and his century with a six and a four. His unbeaten knock featured 10 fours and five sixes.
"The first thing on my mind was getting the team over the line and winning the game. But I would be lying if I said the hundred didn't play in the back of my mind, because I've fallen short a couple of times,” Pretorius said after the match.
Pretorius joined the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League season and made his IPL debut for the inaugural champions last year. He was also part of the Rajasthan Royals squad that reached the playoffs this season.
The maiden T20 hundred adds to an already impressive list of milestones for Pretorius.
Last year, he became the youngest South African to score a Test century after making 153 on debut against Zimbabwe and also registered his maiden T20I half-century against New Zealand.
Across 74 T20 matches, Pretorius has now scored 1923 runs at an average of 28.27 and a strike rate of 146.79.
