Pretorius breaks Gayle’s T20 record with stunning 188

South Africa’s Lhuan-dre Pretorius has shattered Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the highest individual score in men’s T20 cricket, smashing an unbeaten 188 for the Titans against the Knights in the CSA T20 Challenge.

The 20-year-old left-hander reached the landmark in just 79 balls, striking 15 fours and 13 sixes at a strike rate of 237.97. His innings surpassed Gayle’s unbeaten 175 for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in the 2013 IPL.

Pretorius raced to his half-century from 24 balls and needed only 16 more deliveries to reach his century. He brought up 150 in 58 balls and finished just 12 runs short of becoming the first man to score a double century in T20 cricket.

His record-breaking knock powered the Titans to 267 for three in 20 overs at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein. The Knights were then bowled out for 143 in 17.2 overs, giving the Titans a 124-run victory.

Pretorius’ innings also equalled the record for the most balls faced in a men’s T20 innings, matching the 79-ball efforts of Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis.

The young batter has been in prolific form, having also scored an unbeaten 101 for South Africa against Namibia in a T20 international last month.