Chennai:In today's 31st T20 World Cup match against New Zealand, Yuvraj Samra of Canada stole the show with an incredible century. After choosing to bat first in the crucial match, Canada scored a respectable 173 runs, continuing the trend of associate nations doing well at the mega event. At the age of 19 years and 141 days, Yuvraj also became the youngest player in T20 World Cup history to score a century.
In this regard, he surpassed the record set by Ahmed Shehzad of Pakistan, who at the age of 22 years and 127 days scored a ton against Bangladesh during the 2014 T20 World Cup. Samra scored his first century off 58 balls while playing in just his 19th Twenty20 International match. He went on to score 110 runs off 65 deliveries at an incredible strike rate of 169.23, which included 11 fours and six sixes.
The youngest player in T20 World Cup history to score a centuryYuvraj Samra (CAN) vs. NZ, Chennai, 2026, 19y 141d
Ahmed Shehzad (PAK) vs. BAN, Mirpur, 2014, 22y 127d
(IND) vs. SA, 23y 156d, Gros Islet, 2010
Chattogram, 2014, 25y 83d (ENG) vs. SL
Glenn Phillips (NZ) vs. SL, 25y 327d, Sydney, 2022
Yuvraj Samra is who? Find out more about the Canada opener.Punjabi-born Yuvraj Samra made his Canada debut in an ODI match against the Netherlands in March of last year. He also made his debut in the shortest format against Canada a few weeks later, and he hasn't looked back. He has already participated in eight One-Day Internationals and nineteen Twenty20 Internationals, including the match in Chennai against New Zealand in which he scored a century. He has already amassed 172 runs at an average of 24.57 in ODIs, including a fifty.
With three fifties and a century to his credit, Samra has amassed 569 runs at an incredible average of 37.93 and a strike rate of 161.18 in T20Is thus far. In addition, he has hit 53 fours and 33 sixes in his career. Prior to today's match, Samra was having a poor World Cup; he had only amassed 17 runs in two appearances, but he batted brilliantly against New Zealand.
The unique relationship between Yuvraj Singh and Yuvraj SamraAdditionally, Yuvraj Samra has a unique bond with Yuvraj Singh of India. Baljit Samra, his father, wanted his son to bat like Yuvraj, so he named him after him. In addition, Baljit was present for Yuvraj Singh's historic 12-ball fifty in 2007. Additionally, Yuvraj Samra has had two encounters with the Indian legend.
"My dad told him [about the name] while he was there. "Oh, that's nice," he said, simply laughing. He played for the Toronto Nationals [in 2019], but I can't recall the exact date. Then, last year in 2025, I got to meet him when Super 60 began, and I'm in awe of his incredible hitting ability. Simply put, it's entertaining to watch. My father always wants me to be like him. In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Yuvraj stated, "But I'm always saying that I want to be like my own version."
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