Chris Gayle’s World Record Broken! This South African Batter Creates History With A 79-Ball 188

Lhuan-dre Pretorius has broken Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the highest men’s T20 score, hammering an unbeaten 188 off 79 balls for the Titans against the Knights in the CSA T20 Challenge in Bloemfontein.

The 20-year-old finished just 12 runs short of what would have been the format’s first double-century. The knock also brought Pretorius his third T20 hundred and rewrote the men’s T20 batting record.

Pretorius’ innings now stands above Gayle’s 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against the now defunct Pune Warriors in 2013. It also underlined the batter’s rich run of form coming into the new season.

Record-Breaking Innings

Pretorius set the pace early.

The left-handed opening batter raced to his fifty in 24 balls. He then needed only 16 more deliveries to reach his century as the Knights bowlers came under heavy pressure from the start.

He later got to 150 off 158 deliveries. Pretorius also tied with Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis for the longest innings in men’s T20s in terms of balls faced.

The assault was relentless. Pretorius struck 13 sixes and 15 fours as he moved past Gayle’s 175 not out, which had stood since 2013, and sealed the highest individual score in men’s T20 cricket.

Titans Dominate Knights

The Titans piled up 267 for 3.

That total is the second-highest in CSA T20 Challenge history. The only higher score remains the Titans’ own 271 for 3, also against the Knights, in 2022.

That 2022 game had also produced the competition’s top individual score before this match—Dewald Brevis’ 162, according to ESPN. Pretorius’ 188 has now taken that mark as well.

The Titans’ dominance runs deeper. They now hold the five highest team totals in CSA T20 Challenge history, while all Knights bowlers returned economy rates of 11 or higher.

Recent Form

This was Pretorius’ first game of the 2026-27 season.

He arrived in the tournament after a destructive run in September. In his previous two matches, he made 94 against Zimbabwe and 101 against Namibia in a tri-series.

Pretorius is still early in his international career. He has played 22 internationals across formats, but this was already his 91st T20, a format in which he strikes at 150.44.