The 20-year-old left-handed opener struck 188 from just 79 deliveries, surpassing Chris Gayle’s long-standing record of 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in the 2013 Indian Premier League.
Pretorius produces record-breaking innings
Pretorius reached his half-century from 24 balls before accelerating dramatically.
He needed only another 16 deliveries to reach 100 and reached 150 from 58 balls, leaving him within sight of becoming the first batter to score a double-century in men’s T20 cricket.
His unbeaten 188 included 15 fours and 13 sixes, giving him a strike rate of 237.97.
The innings also saw Pretorius equal the record for the most deliveries faced in a men’s T20 innings, with his 79-ball stay matching the marks set by Australia’s Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis.
Titans post 267 before crushing Knights
Pretorius’ extraordinary performance helped the Titans reach 267 for three from their 20 overs.
Sinethemba Qeshile was the next highest scorer for the Titans with 14, while captain Donovan Ferreira finished unbeaten on 29 from 11 balls.
The Knights struggled to keep pace during their reply and were bowled out for 143, handing the Titans a commanding 124-run victory.
• Titans: 267/3 — Lhuan-dre Pretorius 188* (79), Donovan Ferreira 29* (11)
• Knights: 143 all out — Gihahan Cloete 39 (25)
The result gave Pretorius’ record-breaking innings an emphatic finish as the Titans secured one of the biggest victories of the CSA T20 Challenge.
Gayle’s record finally falls
Gayle’s 175 not out had stood as the highest individual score in men’s T20 cricket for more than 13 years.
The West Indies great produced his famous innings from 66 balls against Pune Warriors in the 2013 IPL, hitting 17 sixes and 13 fours. Pretorius has now moved to the top of the list with an innings that fell just 12 runs short of a historic double-century.
Pretorius continues remarkable rise
The record comes during an impressive period for Pretorius, who has already represented South Africa in all three international formats.
Before this Titans innings, he had scored 226 runs in a three-nation series involving South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in September, including a century against Namibia.
At just 20, Pretorius now holds the highest individual score recorded in men’s T20 cricket — a record previously associated with one of the format’s most destructive hitters, Chris Gayle.