{"id":213337,"date":"2025-01-12T05:34:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T05:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/12\/winning-matters-more-lhuan-dre-pretorius-after-narrowly-missing-out-on-century-on-his-sa20-debut-cricket-news-times-of-india\/"},"modified":"2025-01-12T05:34:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T05:34:04","slug":"winning-matters-more-lhuan-dre-pretorius-after-narrowly-missing-out-on-century-on-his-sa20-debut-cricket-news-times-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/12\/winning-matters-more-lhuan-dre-pretorius-after-narrowly-missing-out-on-century-on-his-sa20-debut-cricket-news-times-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Winning matters more’: Lhuan-dre Pretorius after narrowly missing out on century on his SA20 debut | Cricket News – Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"‘Winning<\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Lhuan-dre Pretorius (Sportzpics Photo) <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NEW DELHI: 18-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius stole the spotlight in his SA20 debut, smashing a blistering 97 off just 51 balls to help Paarl Royals secure a dominant nine-wicket victory over Sunrisers Eastern Cape on Saturday.
His innings, full of commanding drives and powerful pulls, included 10 4s and 6 6s, exhibiting his extraordinary strength and composure in the middle.
Despite narrowly missing out on a century, Pretorius remained grounded, prioritising the win above individual milestones. “I was just thinking about winning the game, to be honest, before playing,” he shared in the post-match press conference. \u201cBut, I mean, I\u2019d take that (winning the game over individual milestone) any day. If you had told me before the game that I\u2019d get that score, I would\u2019ve taken it without hesitation.”
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. <\/span>SUBSCRIBE NOW!<\/a>
Known for his all-round abilities, Pretorius has balanced his cricket career with academics over the years. He credited his school Cornwall Hill College for the support he received in managing schoolwork while excelling on the cricket field.
\u201cThey were incredibly helpful. They supported me a lot with schoolwork, allowing me to focus on cricket while still balancing academics,\u201d said Pretorius, adding that it\u2019s been a tough but exciting year for him. Awaiting his Matric results on Monday, Pretorius is excited about what lies ahead.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Joe Root lauds Lhuan-dre Pretorius after SA20 debut heroics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

During the match, Pretorius formed a crucial 132-run partnership with former England captain Joe Root<\/a>. Root played a composed knock of 62 not out off 44 balls, helping to guide the Royals home after Pretorius was dismissed.
Despite a strong innings from Aiden Markram<\/a>, who scored 82 off 49 balls for Sunrisers, the Royals\u2019 bowlers held their own, with Kwena Maphaka (2\/35) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2\/27) keeping Sunrisers to 175\/5.
With this convincing victory, the Royals head into their next clash against MI Cape Town with confidence on Monday, while the Sunrisers, after back-to-back defeats, have a lot of thinking to do before facing Pretoria Capitals on Tuesday.<\/div>\n