Pretorius deserved better from his partners

Lhuandré Pretorius’ Near‑Century in Windhoek

Match: Namibia T20I series – South Africa vs Zimbabwe, Windhoek (Tuesday)
Result: South Africa 185/7 (won by 43 runs)

Pretorius’ Innings

• Score: 94 off 51 balls
• Strike Rate: 184.31 (highest of his 16 T20I innings)
• Boundaries: 12 fours, 3 sixes
• Key moments:
  • Reached 50 in 24 balls.
  • Needed 6 more runs for a century when he was dismissed.

Dismissal

• Bowled by Brad Evans (slower yorker) after stepping across his stumps; leg stump was struck.

Collapse of the Middle Order

• While Pretorius was set, the following wickets fell in quick succession, limiting the partnership’s momentum:

• These four wickets added 20 runs in 17 deliveries, leaving South Africa 150 runs after 15.1 overs and still short of the 200‑run target they had set for themselves.

Quotes from Pretorius

• On missing the century:

  “I was a bit gutted because we said after 14 overs we wanted to get to 200. I knew that if we got to 200 I would get to the milestone.”

• On his partners’ role:

  “I wouldn’t say I was let down. I was the in‑batter and that’s how T20 works. As a top‑order player one batter can win the game. Brevis did it in the first two matches.”

• On T20 hundreds:

  “T20 hundreds are very rare. International T20 hundreds are even more rare. I’m not too fussed about it – it’s a team sport.”

Career Highlights

• International: 153 on Test debut vs Zimbabwe (Bulawayo, June 2025).
• Franchise: 102* off 52 balls for San Francisco Unicorns vs Mumbai Indians New York (July 2024).

Outlook

• At 20 years old, Pretorius has already played 22 international innings across formats.
• Despite the missed milestone, his performance shows he can dominate at the top order, and further opportunities to reach a T20I hundred are expected.