Age has become increasingly irrelevant in modern T20 cricket.
Teenagers are now walking into ICC events and producing innings that rewrite record books previously dominated by experienced internationals.
The T20 World Cup, in particular, has seen a sharp rise in breakthrough performances from young batters who treat the biggest stage as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.
Technical preparation, fearless intent, and exposure to high-level franchise cricket have accelerated the development curve significantly.
Youngest Batter to Score 100s in T20 World Cup Tournament
The youngest batter to score 100s in t20 world cup tournament has now been redefined, with the 2026 edition producing a landmark that few would have anticipated from an associate nation opener.
Top 5 Youngest Batters to Score 100s in T20 World Cup Tournament
Elite young centurions at T20 World Cups represent the rarest category of batting achievement in the format.
The youngest batter to score 100s in T20 WCs spans multiple nations, eras, and tournament editions — each entry reflecting a moment where youth and pressure combined to produce history.
| Player | Team | Age | Opponent | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuvraj Samra | Canada | 19y 141d | New Zealand | Chennai, 2026 |
| Ahmed Shehzad | Pakistan | 22y 127d | Bangladesh | Mirpur, 2014 |
| Suresh Raina | India | 23y 156d | South Africa | Gros Islet, 2010 |
| Alex Hales | England | 25y 83d | Sri Lanka | Chattogram, 2014 |
| Glenn Phillips | New Zealand | 25y 327d | Sri Lanka | Sydney, 2022 |
The gap between Samra at 19y 141d and Shehzad at 22y 127d spans nearly three years — an extraordinary margin in a record that had stood since 2014.
No batter in any prior World Cup edition had reached three figures before their 22nd birthday, making Samra’s achievement a clean generational reset.
Early hundreds at ICC tournaments carry disproportionate weight.
They arrive under knockout-adjacent pressure, against quality international attacks, and in conditions unfamiliar to most young players — making them a far stronger indicator of batting calibre than bilateral series centuries.
Yuvraj Samra Becomes Youngest Centurion in T20 World Cup
- Record-Breaking Knock: Samra scored a 58-ball century against New Zealand at Chepauk Stadium, Chennai, in Canada’s Group D fixture at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He reached the milestone in the 17th over, with Canada simultaneously crossing 150 runs — three full overs remaining in the innings.
- Age Milestone: Samra completed the feat at precisely 19 years and 141 days, becoming the youngest centurion in T20 World Cup history. The record had never previously been held by a player under the age of 22 across any edition of the tournament since its inception.
- Historic Comparison: Pakistan’s Ahmed Shehzad previously held the record with his century against Bangladesh in Mirpur at the 2014 event, scored at 22 years and 127 days. Samra’s innings erased that benchmark by a margin of nearly three years — a rare instance of a long-standing ICC record being broken so decisively.
- Impact on Canada Campaign: Samra’s century gave Canada a 150-plus total against an experienced New Zealand attack with overs in hand. For an associate nation at a T20 World Cup, a teenage opener producing such an innings signals meaningful batting depth and competitive intent at the highest level.
Youngest Batter to Score 100s in T20I Matches
Across all T20I cricket, young centurions have emerged from a wider pool of nations than the World Cup list alone reflects.
Samra’s 58-ball hundred places him third on the all-formats T20I youngest centurion list, behind only France’s Gustav Mckeon and Nigeria’s Selim Salau.
| Player | Team | Age | Opponent | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gustav Mckeon | France | 18y 280d | Switzerland | Vantaa, 2022 |
| Selim Salau | Nigeria | 19y 30d | Ivory Coast | Abuja, 2024 |
| Yuvraj Samra | Canada | 19y 141d | New Zealand | Chennai, 2026 |
| Braithyn Pecic | Serbia | 19y 210d | Slovenia | Belgrade, 2025 |
| Michael Levitt | Netherlands | 20y 255d | Namibia | Kirtipur, 2024 |
Bilateral T20I centuries against emerging nations carry a fundamentally different weight compared to a hundred scored at an ICC World Cup against a side like New Zealand.
Mckeon and Salau produced their centuries against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast, respectively — competitive matches, but outside the pressure environment of a global tournament.
Samra’s entry on this list is uniquely positioned at the intersection of youth and elite competition.
The list is dominated by associate nations — France, Nigeria, Serbia, Canada, and the Netherlands — confirming that the global expansion of cricket pathways is generating genuine batting talent well beyond traditional cricket-playing nations.
These players are not just participating; they are setting records.
Conclusion:
The record books of T20 World Cup batting history have been rewritten at the 2026 edition.
The youngest batter to score 100s in t20 world cup tournament is now a 19-year-old Canadian opener who produced a 58-ball century against a full-member nation on an ICC stage.
Samra’s feat sits beyond statistical novelty — it reflects a structural shift in how young cricketers are developing globally and how associate nations are closing the gap on established teams.
- New Generation Trend: Teenagers are consistently influencing outcomes at the highest T20 level. Their ability to perform without the weight of expectation is becoming a consistent tournament factor rather than an occasional surprise.
- Age Records Falling Fast: The compression of age records across T20I cricket since 2022 confirms an accelerating trend. Multiple entries in the youngest centurion lists have arrived within a three-year window, with 2026 producing the most significant of them all.
- Global Expansion of T20 Talent: Associate nations from North America, Europe, and Africa are now regularly contributing to record lists. Cricket’s grassroots expansion is translating directly into measurable international performance at the highest level.
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