Pretorius hits 188 not out, surpassing Gayle's record T20 score, reports say

South African batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored 188 not out off 79 balls for the Titans against the Knights in Bloemfontein, according to Al Jazeera and BBC Sport. The match was part of South Africa's domestic CSA T20 Challenge.

Both outlets report that the innings surpassed Chris Gayle's 175 for Bangalore in the 2013 Indian Premier League, previously the highest individual T20 score. BBC Sport specifies that the record is for men's T20 matches.

Pretorius is 20 years old and hit 13 sixes. He reached 50 in 24 balls and needed 16 more balls to reach his century. He reached 150 off 58 deliveries.

The Titans finished on 267-3. They bowled out the Knights for 143 and won by 124 runs.

Pretorius has played for South Africa in all three international formats. According to BBC Sport, he has played 17 T20s, three one-dayers and two Tests.

Further reported details

According to Al Jazeera, the match was played on Friday. Neither report gives the calendar date. BBC Sport reports that the venue was the Mangaung Oval and that Pretorius finished with a strike rate of 237.97.

Al Jazeera reports that Pretorius is a left-hander who opened the batting, and that this was his first Titans appearance of the season. It says he tied Australians Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis for the most balls faced in a T20 innings.

According to Al Jazeera, the Titans' second-highest scorer was Sinethemba Qeshile with 14, and Dewald Brevis made seven. The outlet says 267-3 was the second-highest total in the competition's history, behind the Titans' 271 in 2022. It adds that Brevis hit 162 in that 2022 match, the competition's previous record individual score.

BBC Sport reports that the Knights were bowled out in 17.2 overs. Its scorecard summary lists Cloete with 39 off 25 balls for the Knights, and Ferreira with 3-16 for the Titans.

On Gayle's innings, BBC Sport says his 175 was not out and came against Pune Warriors. Al Jazeera says it came off 66 balls, with 17 sixes and 13 fours.

What is disputed

The two reports differ on the number of fours Pretorius hit. Al Jazeera gives 14 and BBC Sport gives 15. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi include no official scorecard or statement from Cricket South Africa to settle the difference.

What the reports do not include

The reports include no comments from Pretorius, the Titans, the Knights, Gayle or cricket officials. They do not describe any formal ratification of the record by a governing body.

Analysis

If the figures stand, a record that had held since 2013 has fallen in a domestic competition rather than in a major franchise league. The innings may draw more attention to Pretorius, who has already played for South Africa in all three formats, though one performance does not determine selection or future form. The discrepancy over the number of fours does not affect the reported total of 188, but an official scorecard would be needed to resolve it. The reports also do not describe any formal ratification, so how the record is officially recognised remains unclear from the available accounts.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.