South African batting sensation Lhuan dre Pretorius has rewritten the T20 record books after smashing an extraordinary unbeaten 188 for the Titans, surpassing Chris Gayle’s legendary mark for the highest individual score in men’s T20 cricket.
The 20-year-old produced his historic innings against the Knights in the YesPlay Pro20 Cup, South Africa’s domestic T20 competition, at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein.
Pretorius faced just 79 deliveries, smashing 15 fours and 13 sixes as the Momentum Multiply Titans piled up an imposing 267-3 from their 20 overs.
The Knights were subsequently bowled out for 143 in 17.2 overs, giving the Titans a dominant 124-run victory and a bonus point.
Yet the result itself was almost secondary to Pretorius’ astonishing achievement.
Gayle’s iconic 175 finally surpassed
For more than 13 years, Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 175 had stood as one of T20 cricket’s most famous records.
The West Indies great produced that legendary innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India during the 2013 Indian Premier League.
Gayle’s 175 not out had survived the explosive evolution of T20 batting, with some of the sport’s biggest hitters coming close but failing to surpass it.
Pretorius finally changed that in Bloemfontein.
He raced beyond Gayle’s mark before eventually finishing unbeaten on 188 from 79 balls, setting a new world record for the highest individual score in men’s T20 cricket.
His innings came at a strike rate of 237.97, with 138 of his 188 runs arriving through boundaries.
Pretorius finished only 12 runs short of becoming the first player to score a double century in a recognised men’s T20 match.
Explosive start sets up record breaking night
Pretorius showed his intentions almost immediately.
Opening the batting for the Titans, the left-hander raced to his half century from just 24 deliveries.
His acceleration became even more dramatic from there.
He required only another 16 balls to reach three figures, bringing up his century from 40 balls.
By the time he reached 150, Pretorius had faced only 58 deliveries.
The Knights simply had no answer.
Pretorius attacked both pace and spin, repeatedly clearing the boundary while also finding gaps around the field.
He shared a 112-run opening partnership with Sinethemba Qeshile, who made 14, with Pretorius contributing the overwhelming majority of those runs.
Dewald Brevis and Leus du Plooy were dismissed cheaply, but Pretorius continued attacking.
Captain Donovan Ferreira then provided valuable support towards the end, smashing an unbeaten 29 from 11 balls as the Titans reached 267-3.
Knights unable to respond
Chasing 268 required an extraordinary batting performance from the Knights.
They began aggressively, with Jacques Snyman scoring 32 from just 12 deliveries and Gihahn Cloete making 39 from 25.
However, once the opening partnership was broken, the required run rate became increasingly difficult to manage.
Titans captain Ferreira also made an impact with the ball, taking 3-16 from four overs with his off-spin.
The Knights were eventually dismissed for 143, completing a comprehensive Titans victory.
Pretorius continues remarkable rise
The record-breaking innings represents another major milestone in Pretorius’ rapidly developing career.
The wicketkeeper batter first attracted widespread attention during the 2024 Under 19 World Cup, where he emerged as South Africa’s leading run-scorer.
His reputation grew considerably during the 2025 SA20 season.
Playing for the Paarl Royals, Pretorius scored 397 runs and finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer despite being only 18 years old.
His aggressive batting eventually earned him international recognition.
Pretorius has already represented South Africa across formats and became the youngest South African to score 150 in men’s Test cricket when he struck 153 against Zimbabwe in 2025.
He has also demonstrated his ability at T20 international level.
Before producing his record 188, Pretorius had scores of 94 and 101 in his previous two T20I innings, underlining the remarkable form he carried into the domestic competition.
A record that appeared almost untouchable
Gayle’s 175 had become one of the benchmark performances of the T20 era.
That innings included 13 fours and 17 sixes and helped Royal Challengers Bangalore post 263-5 against Pune Warriors in Bengaluru.
Several players had threatened the record since then.
Australia’s Aaron Finch made 172 against Zimbabwe in a T20 international in 2018, while other huge individual scores followed as modern batting became increasingly aggressive.
But nobody had managed to get beyond Gayle.
Until Pretorius.
The young South African’s 188 has now established a new target for the world’s most destructive T20 batters.
The leading men’s T20 individual scores now begin with:
188 – Lhuan dre Pretorius, Titans vs Knights, 2026*
175 – Chris Gayle, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Pune Warriors, 2013*
172 – Aaron Finch, Australia vs Zimbabwe, 2018.
Which league did Pretorius score 188 in?
Pretorius produced the innings in the YesPlay Pro20 Cup, Cricket South Africa’s domestic T20 tournament.
The competition features 16 South African domestic teams across 71 matches, and the 2026 edition runs from September into November.
The Titans compete as the Momentum Multiply Titans, while their opponents in the record breaking game were the Flexbrands Knights.
Some international reports have described the competition as the CSA T20 Challenge, which is why both names may appear in coverage of the innings. The current tournament branding, however, is the YesPlay Pro20 Cup.
It should not be confused with SA20, South Africa’s separate franchise based T20 league.
A new benchmark for T20 batting
Pretorius’ innings represents another sign of how rapidly scoring standards are changing in modern T20 cricket.
But even in an era of increasingly aggressive batting, scoring 188 in just 79 balls remains an extraordinary achievement.
At only 20 years old, Pretorius has already established himself as one of South African cricket’s most exciting young talents.
His performances in international cricket, the SA20 and domestic competition had already generated considerable attention.
Now he owns one of cricket’s most recognisable world records.
