The T20 World Cup has consistently produced career-defining moments for young cricketers on the biggest stage.
With bat in hand, several teenagers and early-twenties players have announced themselves to the world through landmark innings at ICC events.
Century-scoring at the T20 World Cup remains one of the rarest batting achievements in the format.
The combination of high-pressure knockout cricket, varied conditions, and quality opposition makes three-figure scores exceptionally difficult to produce.
Youngest Batter to Score 100s in T20 World Cup
The youngest batter to score 100s in t20 world cup tournament has now been rewritten, with a teenage opener from Canada etching his name into the record books at the 2026 edition.
Top 5 Youngest Batters to Score 100s in T20 World Cup Tournament
The youngest batter to score 100s in T20 WCs comes from a diverse mix of nations and eras, reflecting the global spread of the format across more than a decade of World Cup cricket.
| 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 age gap between Samra at 19y 141d and the previous record-holder Shehzad at 22y 127d is nearly three years — a significant margin that underlines how extraordinary the Canadian’s achievement is. No batter at a T20 World Cup had previously reached three figures before the age of 22.
The list also highlights that T20 World Cup centuries have been spread across associate and full-member nations alike, with players from Canada, Pakistan, India, England, and New Zealand all featuring across different tournament cycles.
Yuvraj Samra Becomes Youngest Centurion in T20 World Cup
- Record-Breaking Knock: Yuvraj Samra scored a 58-ball century against New Zealand at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai during Canada’s Group D match at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He reached the milestone in the 17th over, with Canada simultaneously crossing the 150-run mark — three overs remaining.
- Age Milestone: Samra completed the innings at 19 years and 141 days, becoming the youngest centurion in T20 World Cup history. No batter had scored a hundred at a T20 World Cup at a younger age across any edition of the tournament since its inception.
- Historic Comparison: The previous record belonged to Pakistan’s Ahmed Shehzad, who scored a century against Bangladesh in Mirpur at the 2014 T20 World Cup at the age of 22 years and 127 days. Samra surpassed that mark by nearly three full years.
- Impact on Canada’s Campaign: The innings provided Canada with a platform of 150-plus runs with overs to spare against an experienced New Zealand attack. For an associate nation, producing a teenager capable of such an innings at this level reflects significant depth in their batting pipeline.
Youngest Batter to Score 100s in T20I Matches
Beyond the World Cup stage, T20I cricket has also seen a crop of remarkably young centurions emerge from across the global cricket landscape.
Samra’s World Cup century also places him third on the all-formats T20I list.
| 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 |
The T20I all-formats list is dominated by players from associate nations — France, Nigeria, Serbia, and the Netherlands — reflecting how emerging cricket markets are producing technically capable youngsters earlier than ever before.
Only Samra’s century was scored at a full ICC World Cup event, adding significant weight to his achievement relative to others on this list.
The distinction matters: centuries scored against Switzerland, Ivory Coast, and Slovenia carry a different context than a hundred against New Zealand at an ICC World Cup.
Samra’s feat sits at the intersection of age record and competitive stage, making it uniquely significant in T20 cricket history.
Conclusion:
Records tied to age and occasion carry special significance in cricket, and the youngest batter to score 100s in t20 world cup tournament now has a new face.
Yuvraj Samra’s 58-ball century in Chennai against New Zealand has reset what is considered possible for teenage batters at the sport’s biggest T20 stage.
The feat also signals broader trends worth watching across the format.
- New Generation Trend: Teenage cricketers are arriving at the international stage earlier and with greater technical preparation. Samra’s century is not an outlier — it reflects a generational shift in how young players are being developed globally.
- Age Records Falling Fast: The T20I youngest centurion list has seen multiple entries since 2022, with records broken in 2024 and again in 2026. The trajectory suggests these marks will continue to be challenged in upcoming tournaments.
- Global Expansion of T20 Talent: Associate nations from Europe, Africa, and North America are consistently producing top-order batting talent. The presence of France, Nigeria, Serbia, Canada, and the Netherlands across both lists confirms that T20 excellence is no longer confined to traditional cricket powers.
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