After winning the toss and electing to bat, Samra started slowly, managing just three runs from his first five deliveries. In the powerplay final, Samra tore into James Neesham, pushing boundaries and hitting a huge six.
Captain Dilpreet Bajwa played the perfect supporting role, anchoring one end with 36 off 39 balls. While Bajwa turned the strike, Samra dominated the bowlers. The pair stitched together an opening stand of 116 runs, the highest first-wicket partnership by an Associate side against a Full Member in a Men’s T20 World Cup.
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Samra reached his half-century in just 36 balls, becoming the youngest player to score a fifty in tournament history. He cleared the ropes six times, which was equal to the joint most sixes by an Associate batsman against a Full Member in a T20 World Cup innings. His century came off just 58 deliveries. At 19 years and 141 days, he became the youngest centurion in the history of the Men’s T20 World Cup. It is striking that Samra was even dropped at 103, but eventually fell to 110 in the penultimate over. After Bajwa’s dismissal, Navneet Dhaliwal scored with a 10, while Dilon Heyliger’s late cameo of 8 from 3 balls saw Canada finish at 173/4.
“Honestly, I have been manifesting this moment since we qualified for the World Cup. Every day I dreamed of scoring a hundred on this stage. To do it here, in my first appearance, and as the youngest player at this World Cup – it really is a dream come true. (To be named after Yuvraj Singh and to have crossed his highest T20 World Cup score) It feels incredible. There are so many emotions right now, I can’t really put them into words. Yuvraj Singh is someone I’ve been looking up to it since I was a kid, so to be mentioned in the same breath is special. I wish my dad was here today to watch me from home – this one is for him (on the surface) The wicket was a bit slow and the ball was hanging a bit. I felt it was important to pick the right attacks and not force shots the easiest number for a free-flowing strokeplay, so you have to adapt,” Samra said after his knock.
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