Lhuan-dre Pretorius: South African eclipses Graeme Pollock as Proteas youngest Test centurion

With a batting style and frame which has more than a hint of former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith about it, the stocky leftie looks destined for great things.

Born in Potchefstroom in March 2006 he was educated in South Africa’s private schools system and quickly found his way into the professional game.

He was the leading run-scorer at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2024, with 287 runs in six games at an average of 57.40.

Not long after he made his domestic T20 debut in South Africa for the Titans at the age of 17 and caught the eye later in the tournament with 82 off 43 balls against Gauteng.

Pretorius then made 120 on his first-class debut for Titans against Warriors in December 2024 before an impressive knock on his debut in the SA20 led to wider recognition.

Pretorius scored a career-best 97 T20 franchise debut for Paarl Royals in January 2025, an innings which caught the eye of England captain Ben Stokes.

“One of the many things franchise cricket has done is put young/inexperienced but incredibly talented players opportunities on the biggest stage against the best in the world and show off how good they are. Lhuan-dre Pretorius is doing that right now,” Stokes said in a post on X, external in January.

In May 2025, Pretorius was called up to the Indian Premier League by Rajasthan Royals as a replacement for the injured Nitish Rana and appeared in one match as an impact player but did not bat.

Following the IPL Pretorius played three games for Hampshire in the T20 Blast, having signed as an overseas player in February, where he made scores of one, 37 and 28.