Lhuan-dre Pretorius soaks up Proteas wisdom as he prepares for Aussie hostility
Pretorius, 19, has already made a name for himself in South Africa, having made light work of domestic cricket on graduating from schoolboy cricket.
For his dominance in first-class cricket this past season, the left-handed batter earned the Cricket South Africa Four-Day Series Player of the Year award at Emperor's Palace in Johannesburg last week.
The youngster has already donned the Proteas colours as he earned his Test and T20I debuts in Zimbabwe last month, where he also impressed with 150 on his Test debut and one half-century in T20Is.
His numbers have seen him earn a spot in the Proteas' full-strength team that is in Australia for three T20Is and three ODIs starting later this week.
Pretorius is on tour with Proteas household names, including T20I captain Aiden Markram, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma, who will join the squad for the ODI series.
Lhuan-dré Pretorius earns his maiden T20I cap for the Proteas Men! 🇿🇦🧢
From rising through the ranks with fearless stroke play and electrifying energy to donning the green and gold on the international stage 🔥🏏💪. #WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/PdcFIZdF0z
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) July 15, 2025
In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.co.za, Pretorius revealed he is excited to become a sponge in the squad and absorb as much information as possible from the seasoned professionals.
'With the likes of KG, Temba, Aiden, [Ryan] Rickleton, all of those guys, I'm just super excited to learn and see how they play the game, how they see the game, how they speak, paying attention to how they do things that maybe can benefit me,' said Pretorius.
'Obviously, everyone's a different player, but you can take a little bit from each player and build your own legacy, if that makes sense.'
Australia is often a tough country to tour. The fans are passionate about their team and can be harsh to visiting teams and players.
Similarly, the Australian team is known for playing hard, adopting a 'bully' mentality on the field.
For a youngster such as Pretorius, this could be a challenge. However, Pretorius is fully aware of what could come in the next few weeks playing in Australia and is prepared.
Lhuan-dré Pretorius reflects on a dream debut: an unforgettable maiden Test century. 💯🔥
From nerves to glory, our young star stood tall on the big stage and delivered with class, composure, and character. 💪🇿🇦 #WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/5kzJvJeK2w
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 30, 2025
The left-handed batter said chirping on the field brings out the best in him and the noise off the field doesn't have an impact on him.
'The media and the stuff that happens off the field, I don't really care about that stuff because I don't really look into that kind of stuff, but the on-the-field chirping, it does get me going,' said Pretorius.
'I do enjoy that quite a bit because it keeps me in the fight, and it just gives me another reason not to give my wicket away. I don't really care about what's going on off the field in terms of other people's perspectives and that kind of stuff.
'You don't want to overthink it. At the end of the day, it's bat against ball. It's not Lhuan-dre against another player, it's bat against ball and that helps you a lot. You do your thing, there's a reason you're playing there and there's a reason you got there. So just backing the processes, backing what's got you there. That's my mindset and how I do it.'
The T20I series is set to run from Sunday to August 16, while the ODI series will run from August 19 to 24.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
5 hours ago
- eNCA
Dropped Australian Test star Labuschagne plots Ashes return
Dropped Australian Test star Marnus Labuschagne says he is determined to bounce back and prove the doubters wrong, putting his hand up to open in the Ashes series against England. The long-time number three was axed from Australia's Test tour of the West Indies in June and July after a sustained lean spell. In his first comments since, he told The Australian newspaper on Sunday that it may have been a blessing in disguise. "It was tough because you never want to be dropped," the 31-year-old said. "But almost as soon as their (selectors) words came out my mind shifted straight away to, 'Okay, how am I playing the Ashes ... how do I make that happen?'. "This has given me an opportunity to reflect and not having the pressure of the media saying, 'Marnus has got to go'. "There is a tipping point but it's something I thrive on, proving the doubters wrong and being able to find a way. "Missing those West Indies Tests gave me the chance to sit back and think, 'This is where I want to be and this is how I'm going to get there'." The 58-Test veteran was moved from his regular spot at three to open in the World Test Championship final loss to South Africa in June, where he scored 17 and 22 before being dropped. But with his replacement, the teenager Sam Konstas, struggling at the top of the order, Labuschagne said he was ready to give it another crack. "I would be happy to do that -- I would love to," he said, with Cameron Green ably filling the number three slot in the West Indies. "If opener is where I need to bat to be playing in the Test team, that's fine. "If you had asked me where I prefer to bat, obviously I have batted at three my whole career, but at this stage you don't get a choice." Labuschagne returns to action for Australia in three home one-dayers against South Africa this month. He will then switch his attention to the Sheffield Shield, hoping to impress selectors enough to earn a recall for the five-Test Ashes series starting in Perth on November 21.
The Herald
5 hours ago
- The Herald
Australia outmuscle Proteas in Darwin T20I opener
They needed to contribute in a big way if the Proteas were going to go close and they set about the task relatively conservatively. But as the innings progressed and their partnership increased, the tourists would have started believing the chase was on. They moved to 120 before Stubbs was caught behind off Hazlewood for 37 off 27 balls. That brought an end to a 72-run partnership between the Warriors batter and Rickelton and also triggered a collapse. George Linde (0) followed Stubbs three balls later, also seen off by Hazlewood, before leg-spinner Zampa removed both Corbin Bosch and Senuran Muthusamy in the next over. Rickelton stood at the other end, watching the procession and eventually moved on to a half-century. Earlier, Markram won the toss and opted to field at a venue that was hosting its debut T20I fixture and its first international in 17 years. The lack of international cricket at the ground made the decision at the toss tough to make. And Australia's innings turned out to have a bit of everything in it. The momentum swung both ways at various stages. Australia opted for the aggressive approach from the outset. And they carried on swinging from the hip despite losing four wickets inside the power play overs. Included among those were the scalps of captain Mitchell Marsh (13), Travis Head (2), Josh Inglis (0) and Cameron Green, who slapped 35 off 13 to ensure the run rate was adequate at 70 in the six overs despite the loss of wickets. Glenn Maxwell (1) and Mitchell Owen followed in the next two overs as the home team slipped to 75 for six in need of resuscitation. The man to breathe life into the innings was the square-shouldered Tim David, who bludgeoned 83 off only 52 balls with eight sixes and four fours. His effort ensured that Australia reached a decent total of a couple less than 180. He was dropped by Stubbs in the deep shortly after he got his half-century. That apart, it was a superb innings that was eventually ended by Maphaka, who ended up taking care of the middle and lower order. The Herald
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Proteas lament missed chance in opening T20I defeat to Australia
Ryan Rickelton struck 71 for the Proteas in their 17-run loss to Australia in Darwin. Photo: AFP Image: AFP The Proteas were left to rue a crucial dropped catch in their 17-run loss in the opening T20I against Australia at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin on Sunday, wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton admitted afterwards. South Africa had been set a target of 179, after skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to field first. The Proteas managed to peg back the hosts after a furious start, and appeared on course to chase down a modest total until some big hitting by Tim David took the game away from them. David smashed eight sixes in a blistering 83 from 52 balls to lift Australia to a competitive total. South Africa could only manage 169 for nine in reply, thanks largely to 71 from Rickelton. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Young speedster Kwena Maphaka starred with the ball for the Proteas, finishing with figures of 4/20. However, the Proteas had a golden chance to dismiss David when he was on 56, and Rickelton admitted that was a turning point in the match. 'I thought we bowled really well," said Rickleton, at the post-match media conference.. "They came out playing their shots. If we took that one on Tim when I think he was on 40 or 50, we could have bowled them out for 120, and that's a whole different game and a different conversation we're having." 'The exciting thing is that they came out guns blazing and we managed to create a lot of chances, so that's quite exciting for us as a group – the fact that we could pin such a formidable batting line-up down a little bit. 'There are one or two things to tweak in the batting line-up, just a bit more smarts and, hopefully, a better platform to start off. But I think the guys are confident in what we have in the change room and hopefully we can bring out something better on Tuesday.' Phenomenal performance from Ryan Rickelton! 🔥 He anchored the innings brilliantly, holding it together for the Proteas men from start to finish. What an effort! 💪🏏🇿🇦 #WozaNawe — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 10, 2025 The wicketkeeper-batter also was not totally happy with his performance with the bat, despite top-scoring for the visitors with a knock that featured seven fours and one maximum. 'I just struggled to get going, I guess. No excuse, I just tried to hit the ball and I kept clothing it. "So, a bit disappointed. It looks a bit better than it felt, but in the end I didn't find my groove quick enough to get the team over the line,' he said. Asked if the Proteas had been unsettled by Australia's aggressive approach from the first ball, Rickelton replied: 'It catches you a little off guard if you haven't played T20 cricket in a while. I guess it's a bit like the IPL in a way – the guys hit the first ball for six. 'International cricket's a little bit different; sometimes you maybe hold back a little bit because there's probably more at stake. They definitely came out with full intent but, like I say, full intent is always going to create one or two chances and today I thought the guys held their nerve really well.' The second T20I in the series is also in Darwin on Tuesday, with the third and final T20 in Cairns, which will also host the first of three ODIs between the arch-rivals.
