188. Pretorius breaks Gayle's T20 record with unbeaten knock
South Africa's Lhuan-dre Pretorius smashed an unbeaten 188 off 79 balls to break Chris Gayle's record for the highest individual score in men's T20 cricket.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius smashed an unbeaten 188 from 79 balls for South Africa's Titans against the Knights on Friday, setting a new record for the highest individual score in T20 cricket. Pretorius launched 13 sixes and 15 fours as he passed the previous top mark of 175 not out, set by West Indies great Chris Gayle while playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League in 2013.
Pretorius, 20, was on course for a double century but ran out of overs as the Titans posted 267-3, before bowling out the Knights for 143 to seal a 124-run victory. The left-hander has been in fine form of late despite being hampered by injury, with his previous innings a 53-ball 101 for South Africa in a T20 international against Namibia last month.
Pretorius is part of the Rajasthan Royals squad in the IPL, although opportunities have been limited so far. With the franchise having established left-handed opening options in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 20-year-old has found it difficult to secure a regular place in the playing XI.
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Pretorius now holds the T20 benchmark at 20, so every IPL franchise that passed on him last year will recalculate his value before the next auction window opens.