By There is no greater competition in cricket than the Cricket World Cup, wherein the world’s top ten teams compete every four years. As exhausting as it is, this event is literally every cricketer’s dream. And what goes without saying is that getting a century in the World Cup is a huge accomplishment. Determining a player’s stamina, skills, and abilities, scoring 100 runs is a big thing.
This article discusses the six youngest cricketers to score a century at the Cricket World Cup:
1. Paul Stirling, Ireland (20 years, 196 days)
Hailing from Ireland, Paul Stirring made his debut against the Netherlands at the 2011 World Cup. Known for his lightning-fast movement abilities, he scored 101 runs (a century) in 71 balls. He scored 11 fours and 4 sixes during his innings, which was enough to defeat the Netherlands. Stirling is an opening batsman and is one of the top ten run-scorers in the T20 international tournaments. As of today, he is 33 years old.
2. Ricky Ponting, Australia (21 years, 76 days)
Being the second-highest scorer in the ODI history with 13,704 runs, Ricky Ponting is an elite company. He competed in three World Cups in his five-year career, with the year 1996 marking his first century. When it comes to batting, literally nobody can defeat him; his 123 runs off 122 balls was a magnificent inning. Having scored 15 hours and one six in his innings, Australia easily defeated the West Indies thanks to Ponting’s century!
3. Avishka Fernando, Sri Lanka (21 years, 87 days)
Having scored an excellent century, reaching the milestone with 104 runs off 103 balls, Weerahandige Inol Avishka Fernando (born 5 April 1998), commonly known as Avishka Fernando, debuted at the 2019 World Cup. In this tournament against the West Indies, he made his first World Cup century. With 11 fours and 3 sixes, Sri Lanka easily beat the West Indies.
4. Virat Kohli, India (22 years, 106 days)
The Indian cricket player Virat Kohli is an absolute dream regarding batting, scoring the most runs in both One-Day and Twenty-Over internationals. Making his first World Cup debut in 2011 against Bangladesh, Kohli has appeared in four World Cups and has five centuries in World Cup action. He scored 100 runs elegantly off of 83 balls for a century with 10 fours and 1 six in his innings. With Kohli’s century leading the way, India easily defeated Bangladesh.
5. Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh (22 years, 162 days)
Shakib Al Hasan is among the game’s all-time greats. In One-Day Internationals, he has over 6,000 runs and more than 200 wickets than any other player. Shakib has made five World Cup appearances and has three World Cup centuries to his account. In 2007, against New Zealand, he made his first World Cup century. Shakib scored an outstanding century, needing just 112 balls to reach the century mark. In his innings, he had 10 fours and 1 six. Bangladesh easily defeated New Zealand thanks to Shakib’s century.
6. Babar Azam, Pakistan (23 years, 140 days)
Babar Azam currently captains the Pakistan cricket team. He has an elegant style of play and is often regarded as one of the top batsmen in the world. Babar has appeared in two World Cups, during which he has scored a century. In 2019, he made his first World Cup century in a match against South Africa. Babar scored 101 runs off 124 balls, an elegant century. In his innings, he had nine fours and two sixes. Pakistan easily defeated South Africa thanks to Babar’s century.
