Lhuan-dre Pretorius had a dream start to his first match in the SA20, he spoke to the media after his Player of the Match performance for the Paarl Royals against the defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
On Saturday, January 11, 2025, Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored 97 runs off 51 balls against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape. It was a remarkable innings that the 18-year-old (still waiting for his matric results) played against a bowling attack that included Jansen, Gleeson, Harmer, and Dawson. He managed to hit 6 sixes and 10 fours.
Pretorius is currently in good form, which was evident throughout the innings. He regularly advanced down the wicket and hit spinners such as Markram and Dawson straight over their heads for six. He also punished anything short from Jansen or Baartman.
Besides displaying brute power, Pretorius proved that he could also spot gaps in the field and manipulate the ball into space like he did when he tapped Gleeson’s past fine leg for four in the 11th over.
Pretorius responded humbly after his performance.
“To be honest with you, it hasn’t really all soaked in. I am just going to try to take it step by step and just run with it and ride the wave.”
It might not have sunk in for the debutant yet, but it did grab the attention of England Test Captain Ben Stokes.
It was evident that his Royals teammate Joe Root also played an important role in helping him gain confidence. Root regularly gave Pretorius the strike which allowed him to keep scoring at a quick rate. At one stage during the innings, Lhuan-dre had faced 18 balls more than Root, which was evident in the 12th over.
The pair communicated regularly between overs and during strategic time-outs. Aside from scoring runs Joe Root also has experience captaining the England Test side which highlights his leadership skills. His encouragement and positivity spurred the youngster on.
Lhuan-dre highlighted that experienced players in the Paarl Royals camp such as Root have helped him settle in.
“The past week has been amazing, a real dream come true. I’m just trying to be like a sponge and soak everything in. All the knowledge I am getting from the big players and coaches; especially batting with Joe out there. He only faced about four dots out there so I could just find a rhythm and go with it. He told me to keep pumping it and keep going. Rooty was giving me confidence and I just wanted to keep going.”
Aside from the 97, Pretorius’ last knock was a maiden 120 off 184 balls in a 4-Day game, where he came in at number six on debut. His transition from school cricket to the professional environment has looked relatively simple, but Pretorius humbly denied this notion.
“I wouldn’t say that it has been easy. I think I found a nice rhythm and been in decent form so I am just trying to ride the wave for as long as possible. There are going to be ups and downs in this sport as you all know so I am in good form at the moment and just trying to keep it going.”
