HARD WORK PAID OFF FOR SEASON 3 TOP-SCORER PRETORIUS

There was a singular moment that the world sat up and took notice that 18-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius was a special talent.

There had already been glimpses since his opening game short-arm pull shot off the competition’s leading bowler Marco Jansen that sailed away for six.

Then the flick off his pads that sent Trent Boult looking for the ball in the Railway Stand at Newlands.

But this was simply audacious. Again it was Boult on the receiving end with the Kiwi slanting the ball into Pretorius in Qualifier 1.

With minimal effort and fuss, Pretorius simply cocked his wrists and sent the new ball flying into the stands alongside the famous St George’s Park brass band that had the experienced Kiwi looking on in “slap jaw amazement”.

The fact that it was into a stiff breeze towards the furthest part of the ground only made it more impressive.

Pretorius certainly is an extraordinary individual and the fact that the teenager closed out his debut Betway SA20 season as the competition’s leading run-scorer with 397 runs at a strike-rate of 166.80 is one of the wildest breakout performances ever witnessed.

“It’s a dream come true,” Pretorius said upon receiving the Batter of the Season award. “It really means a lot to me to be honest. 

“A lot of hard work behind the scenes, that no one really sees. I think it paid off and I'm just very  grateful to play against and with some of the legends of the game.”

It is often said that timing is everything in sport - and indeed life most of the time. Pretorius missed out on playing in South Africa’s premier domestic competition last year due to his international commitments with the South Africa U19 team at the ICC U19 Men’s World Cup.

He was retained by the Royals for Season 3 though, where he would join up with another new Royals recruit in former England captain Joe Root.

It may have seemed like the most unlikely opening partnership with the English veteran of 358 internationals partnering up with a youngster still awaiting his Matric results.

Pretorius could not have asked for a better ally in his corner with Root’s experience at the other end playing a pivotal role in his development.

“Yeah, Rooty kept me calm, I was very nervous before all the games. I'd say, I missed him in the last couple games,” Pretorius said.

“But yeah, Rooty kept me calm under pressure. He gave me good advice, I took it and it worked. I think that played a massive role in me receiving this award.”

The sky is certainly the limit now for the dynamic left-hander, but Pretorius is keeping his feet firmly grounded.

“I'm very grateful for everything and just thanks to everyone who's supporting me,” he said.

“I'm a big believer in not looking too far into the future and just taking it day by day. Things will happen, how they should happen.”