In 2007, when the first-ever T20 World Cup unfolded with its new spice and taste, Canada had not yet played a T20I match, but the love for cricket among Canadians was strong. Back then, in the early 2000s, Canada was one of the finest associate nations that used to qualify in every big ICC event and that led to a father to inspire his child to play cricket. Baljit Singh, the Indian origin Canadian, one of the crazy fans of Yuvraj Singh, named his son after him and on Tuesday, after 19 years, when cricket has changed in many ways, Yuvraj Samra, the son of that crazy cricket lover, became a part of history with smashing first ton scored by a batter from an associate nation in the history of the T20 World Cup.
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Batting first against New Zealand, the young prodigy of Canada came to open and started his innings steadily; his ability to shift gears put pressure on the Kiwi bowlers. He decorated his innings of 110 runs with 11 fours and six over boundaries. With the ton, he has also become the youngest batsman to smash a century in the T20I World Cup. Before this, the record of the youngest centurion was held by Pakistan’s Ahmed Shahzad, who hammered that when he was 22 years old against Bangladesh at Mirpur and broke the record of Suresh Raina. The 19-year-old Canadian prodigy's six boundaries were the most by a member of an associate team against a full member team.
Who is Yuvraj Samra?
Yuvraj Samra is a Canadian international cricketer who represents the Canada national team in One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. Born on 29 September 2006 in Brampton, Ontario, to a family of Indian origin, he developed an early interest in cricket under the guidance of his father. He is a left-handed top-order batter known for his aggressive stroke play, clean ball striking, and ability to accelerate during the middle and death overs.
After smashing a blistering century, he said to the broadcasters," Honestly, I manifested this moment ever since we qualified for the World Cup. Every single day, I dreamed about scoring a hundred on this stage. To do it here, in my first appearance, and as the youngest player in this World Cup - it’s truly a dream come true. (On him being named after Yuvraj Singh and on having gone past his highest T20 World Cup score) It feels incredible. There are so many emotions right now, I can’t really put them into words. "
Adding to that, he continued saying," Yuvraj Singh is someone I’ve looked up to since I was a kid, so to even be mentioned in the same breath is special. I just wish my dad was here today watching me from back home - this one’s for him. (On the surface) The wicket was a bit slow, and the ball was sticking slightly."
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Samra made his international debut in 2025 and quickly established himself as one of Canada’s most promising young talents. He has already registered impactful innings in limited-overs cricket, including a rapid half-century in T20 internationals that placed him among the fastest Canadian batters to reach the milestone. With strong technique and attacking intent, Samra is regarded as a key figure in Canada’s emerging generation of cricketers.
