Lhuan-dre Pretorius turned his near-miss against Zimbabwe into a memorable milestone on Friday, smashing his maiden T20I century as South Africa defeated Namibia by 11 runs in the final round-robin match of the tri-series at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.
Pretorius initially played second fiddle to opening partner Connor Esterhuizen, who launched an aggressive assault on the Namibian bowling attack. This time, however, the youngster made sure he completed the job in emphatic fashion. Pretorius century also earned him a place in the record books. The South African youngster had already established himself as a record-breaker in Test cricket. His latest achievement further underlines his rapid rise on the international stage.
The 20-year-old left-hander produced a stunning 101 off 53 balls, hitting five fours and eight sixes, to help South Africa post 228/4 in their 20 overs. Pretorius reached the three-figure mark in 52 balls before being dismissed by Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus on the following delivery. The century came just days after Pretorius had fallen agonisingly short of the milestone against Zimbabwe, when he scored 94. The pair eventually put together a 156-run opening partnership, providing South Africa with the perfect platform. Esterhuizen scored 88 from just 40 deliveries, including six fours and eight sixes. At 20 years and 161 days, he became the youngest player from a full-member nation to score a T20I century, surpassing Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai, who had held the record after his century at 20 years and 337 days.
Namibia continued to threaten South Africa deep into the innings, but the Proteas held their nerve during the closing stages. Steenkamp scored 61 off 44 balls, while Frylinck smashed 72 from just 36 deliveries.
Pretorius was subsequently named Player of the Match for his match-winning century, capping a remarkable individual performance in Windhoek. With South Africa now through to the final, Pretorius will have another opportunity to continue his remarkable run of form when the Proteas take on Zimbabwe on September 6.
