Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], June 28 : Teenage sensation Lhuan-Dre Pretorious posted South Africa's third-highest score on a debut during the first Test against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo on Saturday.
During the match, arriving at the crease at 23/3, a 19-year-old Lhuan displayed the maturity and temperament needed for a stage as big as international cricket. He smashed 153 runs in 160 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes, at a strike rate of 95.62.
This is the third-highest score by a South African on Test debut, with Jacques Rudolph (222* against Bangladesh in 2003) and Andrew Hudson (163 against West Indies in 1992) above him.
Earlier, Pretorious became the youngest South African (19-year, 93 days) to score a Test century during the match.
Lhuan went past South African great Graeme Pollock to become the youngest Proteas centurion. Back in 1964 against Australia, Pollock was 19 years, 317 days old when he scored a ton at Sydney.
Lhuan, who had a breakout SA20 for Paarl Royals this year with 397 runs in 12 matches with three fifties, made his debut in South African colours on the back of a brilliant Cricket South Africa (CSA) 4-Day Series Division 1, 2024/25, scoring 436 runs in five matches at an average of 72.66, with three centuries and a fifty. His best score was 120.
At the time of writing, South Africa has ended day one at 418/9 in 90 overs, with Corbin Bosch (100* in 124 balls, with 10 fours) and Kwena Maphaka (9*) unbeaten. After electing to bat first, they were reduced to 55/4, until a counter-attacking 95-run stand between Pretorious and another debutant, Dewald Brevis (51 in 41 balls, with three fours and four sixes) put South Africa back in the game.
Pretorious's century and decent contributions from the SA lower-order, skipper Keshav Maharaj (21) and Codi Yusuf (27) helped SA cross the 400-run mark.
Tanaka Chivanga (4/83) was the top bowler for Zimbabwe, while Blessing Muzarabani (2/59) also did well with the ball.