South African cricket can count itself fortunate to be blessed with a rich crop of exciting young talent, several of whom have already graduated to the senior side. Among them, few have commanded as much attention as Lhuan-dre Pretorius.
The explosive southpaw showed a glimpse of his promise at the 2024 ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup, where he topped the run-scoring charts for the Proteas, with 287 runs in six matches. What truly elevated his standing, however, was last year’s SA20, in which Pretorius finished as the tournament’s leading run-getter, accumulating 397 runs at a blistering strike rate of 166.81.
Since then, Pretorius has been fast-tracked into the South African senior set-up and has already registered half-centuries across all three formats, with a Test century further embellishing his growing list of achievements. Seventeen international caps later, Pretorius now returns to the competition that first provided him a platform to shine, and Paarl Royals captain David Miller is confident the teenager will once again illuminate the stage with his brilliance.
The Quint asked Miller about the 19-year-old’s potential at the JioStar Press Room ahead of ahead of SA20 Season 4. He told us:
We have seen Lhuan-dre perform really well over the last 12 to 18 months. He’s a really exciting talent and it’s great to have him in our set-up. He did well last year, and going back-to-back this season would be massive for him, especially after finishing as the leading run-scorer. Just having him in the team adds a lot. He’s very simple in his thinking but extremely explosive as a player. Hopefully he has another strong season, because if he does, the rest of us can really feed off those performances.David Miller
Really Exciting to Have a Lot of Youngsters: David Miller
In the likes of captain Miller and Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza, the Royals have a few experienced campaigners in their camp. Beyond that, however, the squad is largely youthful in composition. Alongside Pretorius, Miller will also lean on emerging talents such as Keagan Lion-Cachet, Jacob Johannes Basson and Sri Lanka’s Vishen Halambage.
On the prospect of leading a young squad, Miller tells The Quint:
I think for us this season it’s really exciting to have a lot of youngsters. They bring a lot of energy, and that’s exactly what we need. There are a couple of older guys here as well, so we’ll feed off the youngsters’ energy and enthusiasm, both on and off the field. There are a lot of eager guys in this group who want to do well — not just here in South Africa, but also for their own countries. For me, that’s a big positive. It becomes a driving force within the team because many of them haven’t necessarily achieved a lot yet, but this is a great opportunity and a real stepping stone in their careers.David Miller
(Catch all the action from SA20 Season 4, December 26 2025 - January 25 2026, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network).