Lhuan-dre Pretorius broke Gayle's record [Source: AFP]Young South African batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius achieved a historic milestone as he surpassed Chris Gayle's iconic 175* to register a new highest score in T20s. Notably, Gayle had attained the monumental feat for RCB against Pune Warriors in the IPL. Meanwhile, Pretorius, one of the youngest centurions in T20 leagues, hammered a belligerent 188-run knock for the Titans in their most recent CSA T20 2026 clash against the Knights. Lhuan-dre Pretorius eclipses Chris Gayle for the highest score in T20 historyThe 16th match of the CSA T20 2026 witnessed a mega clash between the Titans and the Knights at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein. After winning the toss, the Titans opted to bat first, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius made the most of the conditions. While his opening partner Sinethemba Qeshile focused on holding the fort at the non-striker's end, Pretorius continued his onslaught on the Knights' bowling unit, led by skipper Dane Piedt. Also Read: Lhuan-Dre Pretorius Edges Past IPL Teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal's T20I Legacy With Record CenturyDespite his teammates getting dismissed cheaply, Lhuan-dre Pretorius effortlessly smashed the Knights to all corners of the Mangaung Oval, completing a 40-ball century in the process. His brutal assault was studded with 15 boundaries and 13 sixes as he finished the innings on 188 not out off just 79 balls. Thus, Pretorius went past Chris Gayle's iconic 175* to register the highest score in T20 cricket history. Highest scores in T20 cricketLhuan-dre Pretorius- 188* (Titans) vs Knights, CSA T20 Cup 2026Chris Gayle- 175* (RCB) vs Pune Warriors, IPL 2013Aaron Finch- 172 (Australia) vs Zimbabwe, 2018Hamza Khan- 164* (Rwanda) vs Ivory Coast, 2026Karanbir Singh- 164 (Austria) vs Hungary, 2026Lhuan-dre Pretorius' 188* vs Chris Gayle's 175*: A statistical comparisonChris Gayle took 66 balls to score 175 unbeaten runs for RCB against Pune Warriors in the IPL 2013, registering a strike rate of 265.15. On the other hand, Lhuan-dre Pretorius played 79 balls for his flamboyant 188*-run knock, striking at a lower rate of 237.97. Gayle hammered 13 boundaries and 17 sixes in his innings, while Pretorius clobbered 15 boundaries and 13 maximums. Thus, Chris Gayle scored 88 per cent of his runs only through boundaries, while the figure fell to 73.40 per cent for Lhuan-dre Pretorius. So while Pretorius holds the record for the highest T20 score, Chris Gayle's name will remain etched in the history books for sheer destructiveness. Also Read: Mullanpur Stadium Pitch Report, New Chandigarh Weather Report For IND vs WI 3rd ODI, 2026
