Lhuan-dre Pretorius, a 19-year-old South African cricketer, etched his name in the history books on June 28, 2025, by scoring a century on his Test debut against Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. His remarkable feat not only secured his place as the youngest South African to achieve this milestone but also broke a 61-year-old record previously held by Graeme Pollock.
Walking in to bat with South Africa in a precarious situation at 23/3, Pretorius displayed remarkable composure and counter-attacking prowess. He formed a crucial 95-run partnership with fellow debutant Dewald Brevis, who contributed a quickfire 51 off 41 balls. Pretorius continued his innings with unwavering focus, reaching his century in just 112 balls, including seven fours and three sixes. He ultimately scored 153 runs from 160 balls.
In addition to becoming the youngest South African to score a Test century, at 19 years and 93 days old, Pretorius also broke Graeme Pollock's record for the youngest South African to score a Test half-century. Pollock was 19 years and 317 days old when he scored 50 against Australia in 1964. Pretorius is also the youngest player in Test history to score 150 on debut. The previous record was held by Pakistan's Javed Miandad. Miandad was 19 years and 119 days old when he scored 163 against New Zealand in 1976.
Several sources highlight Pretorius's impressive record in domestic and franchise cricket prior to his Test debut. He was South Africa U19's leading run-scorer at the 2024 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, amassing 287 runs in six games. He made his T20 franchise debut for the Paarl Royals in January 2025, where he scored 97 runs. Before his Test debut, Pretorius had played in 7 first-class matches, scoring 485 runs with 3 centuries and an average of 60.62. He also has a List A average of 44.38 and a T20 strike rate of 146.48.
Pretorius is now the seventh South African to score a century on Test debut. He joins Andrew Hudson, Jacques Rudolph, Alviro Petersen, Faf du Plessis, Stiaan van Zyl, and Stephen Cook on this elite list. Overall, he is the fifth-youngest Test centurion on debut.
His aggressive batting style and ability to stabilize the innings under pressure have drawn praise from cricket experts. His performance suggests that South Africa may have found a future batting star.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius's entrance onto the international stage has been nothing short of sensational. His record-breaking century on Test debut not only solidifies his position as a rising star in South African cricket but also signals a promising future for the young talent.
