It takes confidence to play a short-arm pull against one of the world’s top-ranked and fastest bowlers for six in the first over you face him. It takes courage to smash the national captain back over his head and into the sightscreen for six and then paddle sweep him for four off the next ball. And it takes some serious chutzpah to hoick one of the most economical bowlers at last year’s T20 World Cup over midwicket to enter the 90s in your first franchise match and put your team on course for a big win.

Lhuan-dre Pretorius, at 18 years and 290 days old, did all those things and then some.

His 51-ball 97 for Paarl Royals against Sunrisers Eastern Cape included 15 runs off 13 balls from Marco Jansen, 13 runs off 7 balls from Aiden Markram and 22 runs off eight balls from Ottneil Baartman, all established internationals. He played them as though the names didn’t matter nearly as much as making his own.

Though he fell three short of the first century in this edition of the SA20, Pretorius has the highest individual score and most sixes in an innings by a Royals batter and is one-half of their highest opening stand, 132.

“It’s a real dream come true. I’m just trying to be like a sponge and soaking everything in,” he said afterwards. “All the knowledge I’m getting from all the big players, coaches and everything, and especially batting with Joe [Root] out there. He only faced about four dots, so I could just find a rhythm and go with it.”

Having a partner with the experience of Root, who did indeed score runs off 40 of the 44 balls he faced, helped Pretorius to pace his innings. Root realised quickly that Pretorius was the aggressor and played his part in rotating strike and anchoring the chase. He faced only 27 off the 78 balls in their partnership and encouraged Pretorius to “just keep pumping it and keep going”. And he is not the only English stalwart who recognised Pretorius’ potential.

Ben Stokes, who was due to play for MI Cape Town in this edition of the tournament but had to withdraw after suffering a hamstring tear, took to social media to offer praise. “One of the many things franchise cricket has done is give young/inexperienced but incredibly talented players opportunities on the biggest stage against the best in the world and show off how good they are,” Stokes posted on X.

Asked how he felt about those words, the stars in Pretorius’ eyes glinted as he explained. “Ben Stokes is actually my brother’s role model, and I also look up to him,” he said. “It means a lot to me.”

Pretorius and his younger brother Vihan are both top-order batters who have excelled in South Africa’s elite school structures. Lhuan-dre moved from St Stithians in Johannesburg (the school that recently had four players – Kagiso Rabada, Wiaan Mulder, Ryan Rickelton and Kwena Maphaka) to Cornwall Hill College in Pretoria, a place where his parents felt he would have more opportunities to break into the provincial structures.

By then, Pretorius was already established in South Africa’s Under-19 side, where he was their highest run-scorer at last year’s Under-19 World Cup and the sixth-highest overall. He went on to debut for Titans in March in the CSA T20 Challenge and then finished as he sixth-highest run-scorer at last year’s domestic T20 knockout challenge. He has since also made his first-class debut and, in his only innings, scored 120.

Pretorius’ provincial team is also where Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain, Markram, plays his domestic cricket and the two have got to know each other a little. “He’s special,” Markram said. “You look at him playing and you know that there’s not a lot of guys who can do those things. I know he actually works really, really hard as well. It’s nice to see someone so young, full of so much talent, but also with a really strong drive to do well. This was just the start of people getting to know who he is and what he’s all about.”

And what a start it was.