The 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came agonizingly close to rewriting cricket history in the third T20I against Zimbabwe, falling for 81 runs while chasing a maiden international century. This kid, already capturing imaginations across the sport, was just 19 runs away from doing something truly incredible, and the entire cricket world felt that near miss.
A Near Miss for the Ages
Sooryavanshi’s international career has been nothing short of spectacular, even before this record attempt. He’s already the youngest player to score a fifty in men’s international cricket, absolutely smashing that milestone off a mere 18 balls against Zimbabwe in Harare. He followed that up with a quickfire 20 off 9 balls in the second T20I, showing he’s not a one-hit wonder. In this third match, he looked totally in control for a solid 15 overs, guiding the innings with a maturity far beyond his 15 years. But then, it happened. He went for the kind of big shot that could have powered him to three figures, and just like that, he was out for 81. He was so close to obliterating one of cricket’s most enduring age records, a moment that would have echoed through the sport for decades.
The Records That Still Stand
Sooryavanshi’s attempt carried massive significance because no batter from a full member nation has scored an international hundred before turning 16, ever. The current record for the youngest century in international cricket belongs to Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, who slammed his famous 37-ball hundred against Sri Lanka back in 1996. Afridi was just 16 years and 217 days old, and that knock came in his very first international innings, standing as the fastest ODI century for almost two decades. Bangladesh’s Mohammad Ashraful is next up, hitting 114 against Sri Lanka on his Test debut in 2001 at 17 years and 61 days, making him the youngest player to score a century on Test debut. Legends like Sachin Tendulkar also feature on that list, scoring a century at 17 years and 107 days in 1990. On the T20I side, Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai holds the record for the youngest player from a Test nation to score a T20I century, hitting an insane 162* off 62 balls in 2019. The fact is, no teenager from a full member country has yet scored a T20I century, which is why Sooryavanshi’s shot at 15 years old was so huge.
This time, the record books held firm, but for how long? Sooryavanshi’s pursuit of that historic century is clearly far from over. He’s already proven he belongs on the international stage at an age when most kids are just dreaming of it. We’re all watching now, waiting to see when this 15-year-old phenom finally carves his name into cricket history.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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