Against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo, Lhuan-dre Pretorius became the youngest South African to score a men's Test hundred.
There has been buzz around Pretorius long before his Test debut today (June 28) in the first Test of South Africa's two-match series against Zimbabwe. He was the third South African to start his first-class career with two hundreds, and he hit a third in his seventh innings.
He also made 97 off 51 balls on SA20 debut and finished the league as the highest run-scorer. In List A cricket, he hit a 69-ball 107 including five sixes in an over off Test bowler Senuran Muthusamy.
Test cricket, however, turned out to be a steeper challenge. Pretorius came to bat after Tanaka Chivanga’s triple strike had reduced the visitors to 23-3. Wiaan Mulder’s wicket made it 55-4, but Pretorius continued unperturbed. He took only 52 balls to become the youngest South African to score a fifty in men’s Test cricket.
Read: Why Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ wrists make him T20 batting’s newest unicorn
Youngest South Africa players to score a fifty in men’s Test cricket
| Batter | Age | Score | Opposition | Venue | Season |
| Lhuan-dre Pretorius | 19 years 93 days | 100* | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 2025 |
| Graeme Pollock | 19 years 317 days | 122 | Australia | Sydney | 1963/64 |
| Jimmy Blanckenberg | 20 years 1 day | 59 | England | Johannesburg | 1913/14 |
| Tuppy Owen-Smith | 20 years 131 days | 52* | England | Lord’s | 1929 |
| Bruce Mitchell | 20 years 158 days | 88 | England | Birmingham | 1929 |
- Age as of the first day of the Test. Only the first fifty is considered for every batter.
- AB de Villiers was 20 years 313 days old when he scored 52 not out against England at Durban in 2004/25. Until today, he used to be the youngest to score a fifty for South Africa since their readmission.
- Johmari Logtenberg of South Africa Women was only 14 years 166 days old when she scored 74 against England at Shenley in 2003. No one else across genders has got a Test fifty before turning 16 (let alone 15).
Pretorius lost fellow debutant Dewald Brevis but continued to score runs at rapid pace, taking only 112 balls to bring up his hundred. He obviously became the youngest South African to achieve this.
Youngest South Africans to score a hundred in men’s Test cricket
| Batter | Age | Score | Opposition | Venue | Season |
| Lhuan-dre Pretorius | 19 years 93 days | 100* | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 2025 |
| Graeme Pollock | 19 years 317 days | 122 | Australia | Sydney | 1963/64 |
| Tuppy Owen-Smith | 20 years 145 days | 129 | England | Leeds | 1929 |
| AB de Villiers | 20 years 339 days | 109 | England | Centurion | 2004/05 |
| Xen Balaskas | 21 years 141 days | 122* | New Zealand | Wellington | 1931/32 |
- The first condition from the first table holds.
- Pretorius became the 10th-youngest to score a men’s Test hundred.
Pretorius also became the seventh South African to score a hundred on men’s Test debut. Interestingly, all seven instances have come since their readmission to Test cricket, in 1992.
South Africans to score a hundred on men’s Test debut
| Batter | Score | Opposition | Venue | Season |
| Andrew Hudson | 163 | West Indies | Bridgetown | 1992 |
| Jacques Rudolph | 222* | Bangladesh | Chattogram | 2003 |
| Alviro Petersen | 100 | India | India | 2009/10 |
| Faf du Plessis | 110* | Australia | Australia | 2012/13 |
| Stiaan van Zyl | 101* | West Indies | West Indies | 2014/15 |
| Stephen Cook | 115 | England | England | 2015/16 |
| Lhuan-dre Pretorius | 100* | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 2025 |
- Before Pretorius, Rudolph (21 years 355 days) was the youngest South African to score a hundred on men's Test debut.
- Mohammad Ashraful (17 years 61 days), Hamilton Masakadza (17 years 352 days), Saleem Malik (18 years 323 days), and Prithvi Shaw (18 years 329 days) are the only Test debut centurions younger than Pretorius.
