Lhuan-dre Pretorius too good to ignore – even for a frustrated Zimbabwe bowler

YOU KNOW what it’s like when someone’s just too good at something? In fact, they are so good at it that it makes your blood boil!

I knew such a person back when I was in Standard Five (Grade 7, these days). She sat three desks ahead of me, and on the left, and I despised her – in a competitive way – because she had the neatest handwriting I had ever seen!

With a big, fat ballpoint pen, this girl – whom I will not name, lest my jealousy rise again – would have perfectly shaped letters, perfectly uniformed spacing, light up-strokes and dark down-strokes: the perfect handwriting.

I would often sit there, three rows back, willing the pen to burst in her hand. It never did, so I threw an eraser at her head!

No, not really, but I wanted to.

The point I am making is that sometimes someone is so good at something that, no matter how skilled and sharp you are, you somehow feel offended by them.

Which brings us to Lhuan-dre Pretorius, the South African teenager whose cover drives and composure at the crease have been doing a number on opposition confidence – and perhaps patience.

We’re not saying Zimbabwe debutant fast bowler Kundai Matigimu was jealous. But after watching Pretorius frustrate the hosts with shot after crisp shot in the second Test in Bulawayo, IOL Cricket Writer Zaahier Adams reported that Matigimu let frustration boil over and flung the ball directly at the batter, striking him on the wrist. 

The Proteas were firmly in command, and Pretorius was nearing a well-played 78 when the incident occurred.

Matigimu, found guilty of inappropriate behaviour, was fined 15% of his match fee. Fortunately, X-rays cleared Pretorius of any fracture, and while he sat out the fielding innings with a soft tissue injury, the prodigious left-hander is expected to be fit for the upcoming T20 Tri-Series in Harare.

In fact, his star is only rising.

Pretorius, one of four uncapped players in the T20I squad, is coming off a breakout Betway SA20 campaign with the Paarl Royals and is joined by fellow rising star Rubin Hermann, all-rounder Corbin Bosch and spinner Senuran Muthusamy. 

It’s clear that the selectors – and coach Proteas Shukri Conrad – have seen enough to know there’s real depth building in the national pipeline.

Conrad’s kids shine in Zimbabwe

Meanwhile IOL’s Zaahier Adams also reports that the Zimbabwe series was never going to be about results alone. After South Africa’s epic World Test Championship victory at Lord’s, Conrad took a mostly fresh-faced side to Zimbabwe with a few clear objectives: stay grounded, maintain standards, and give the next wave of Proteas a chance to step up.

And they did – emphatically.

An innings and 236-run win in the second Test closed out a series where, according to Conrad, the team’s consistency was as impressive as the scorelines.

“I think the important and the most impressive thing for me was how we managed to keep the standards as high as we set them – both the first Test and the second Test,” Conrad said at Queen’s Sports Club.

“Batting first, we found ourselves in a little bit of trouble against the new ball, and then how the youngsters, Lhuan-dre and Brevi (Dewald Brevis), managed that in the first Test. And the same in the second – we found ourselves in trouble and then Wiaan played a monumental knock.”

Conrad stopped short of anointing Pretorius as a future great – but barely.

“Lhuan is a special talent without wanting to jump the gun. I think it's hard to ignore what he's done here. He's definitely in the discussion for the sub-continent later.”

And there were others: Codi Yusuf’s 10-wicket haul across the series didn’t go unnoticed either. But perhaps the most satisfying vindication for the coach came from stand-in skipper Wiaan Mulder, whose promotion to No.3 was met with early criticism – until he piled on 531 series runs, including a South African record 367 not out.

Eyes on the white ball

The Proteas now shift to white-ball mode, with the T20I Tri-Series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand starting on Monday in Harare.

Lhuan-dre Pretorius will be there, bruised wrist and all, still cool under pressure – and probably still drawing the occasional glare from across the pitch.