Adnit Jhamb showed the promising future of American cricket as the 16-year-old from St. Louis followed up his unbeaten half-century against Bangladesh with an unbeaten century against Scotland to round out the U19 World Cup with a win for USA. 

Photo credit: ICC/Getty

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
USA entered the month of January having never seen one of their players score a century in any World Cup, whether men’s or women’s, junior or senior level. Thanks to the USA U19 squad in Zimbabwe, they now have two in the space of nine days as 16-year-old Adnit Jhamb followed up Nitish Sudini’s unbeaten century against New Zealand with one of his own against Scotland to help take USA to a seven-wicket win on Monday at Harare Sports Club. 
 
Jhamb ended the 2026 ICC U19 World Cup as USA’s leading scorer thanks to his 116 not out off 93 balls, taking him to 208 runs at an average of 104 in four innings. After scores of 18 against India and 6 against New Zealand, he top-scored against Bangladesh with 68 not out off 69 balls entering at No. 7 before being promoted to No. 3 against Scotland where he produced a triple-digit total that included a USA U19 World Cup record 129-run third wicket partnership alongside captain Utkarsh Srivastava to help haul down Scotland’s first innings total of 236 with 11.2 overs to spare. 
 
It wasn’t all rosy for USA at the start of the day as Scotland looked set to post an imposing total behind opener Theo Robinson. Having won the toss and choosing to bat first, Robinson and Olly Pillinger added 57 in the Powerplay for the first wicket before left-arm spinner Rayaan Taj made the first of three crucial breakthroughs to help shift momentum back toward USA. With his second ball of the day after entering in the 10^th over, Taj had Pillinger for 23 when a pull failed to get enough elevation to clear mid-on as Advaith Krishna leaped up on the ring to pull off a superb catch. Rory Grant entered at No. 3 and made 10 before prodding forward and inside edging a length ball onto his stumps to make it 75 for 2 after 16. 
 
But Robinson and Manu Saraswat built an 89-run partnership to reassert control for Scotland as USA looked short of answers in the field. Robinson charged Taj and smashed him for six over long-on to move to 83 off 100 balls in the 34^th over. He looked certain to cruise to a century but on his very next ball, he closed his bat face too early playing through midwicket and a leading edge floated back low to Taj who took a kneeling catch to make it 164 for 3. 
 
With Robinson finally dislodged from the crease, the floodgates opened in the field for USA. Max Chaplin ran himself out on the very next ball for a duck after Jhamb made a terrific diving stop at backward point to deny a single, then relayed to wicketkeeper Arjun Mahesh to get Chaplin a foot short of making his ground on a diving effort after Saraswat sent him back. USA then made it three wickets in five balls at the start of the 35^th when Ritvik Appidi had Saraswat flicking casually toward midwicket where Sabrish Prasad dove right for a sensational catch to remove Saraswat for 41 as Scotland lost three wickets for no run to make it 164 for 5. It became four wickets for seven runs two overs later when Appidi had Ollie Jones stuck on the crease and bowled through the gate for 4 to make it 171 for 6. 
 
Shiv Shani switched up from his usual left-arm pace to bowl left-arm orthodox and the ploy worked in the 42^ndover as Finlay Jones fell for 10 driving low to Prasad at extra cover who took another sharp catch in front of his eyes while crouching low to make it 182 for 7. 
 
Scotland’s lower order rallied behind Jake Woodhouse, who struck 28 off 21 balls, including three fours and a six, after entering at No. 9. He put on a 39-run partnership with captain Thomas Knight before falling to Appidi in the 47^th as a lusty drive wound up producing a simple edge behind to Mahesh to make it 221 for 8. Knight fell for 13 two balls later for Appidi’s fourth wicket, flailing across the line at a length ball only for his middle stump to go cartwheeling back to make it 222 for 9. The tail-end pair of Shreyas Tekale and George Cutler ensured Scotland batted through to the final ball before Tekale struck the last ball of the innings off Srivastava’s offspin to Jhamb at long-on for 7 as Scotland were bowled out for 236. Cutler ended not out on 8. 
 
Appidi finished off a solid U19 World Cup with 4 for 54 off 10 overs to end as USA’s leading wicket-taker with seven wickets at an average of 15.00. Taj bowled a full 10 in his only match of the U19 World Cup to claim 3 for 37. Srivastava claimed 1 for 26 off seven while Shani returned 1 for 31 off seven. Prasad bowled a full quota of offspin to end with 0 for 49. Krishna conceded 0 for 27 off four overs in his only appearance of the event while Jhamb ended with 0 for 12 in two overs of medium pace. 
 
USA got off to a comfortable start in the chase as Amrinder Singh Gill and Sahil Garg added 39 for the first wicket across 8.2 overs before Garg fell for 16, closing the face of his bat too soon on a half-tracker from the offspin of Ollie Jones to send back a simple return catch. Gill looked promising during his 35 off 59 balls but ended his U19 World Cup by trying to cut a ball too close to his body and chopped onto his stumps against Saraswat’s spin to make it 86 for 2 in the 19th. 
 
Srivastava joined Jhamb and the pair looked unstoppable during their century stand. Jhamb was ruthless to anything on his legs, flicking the pace bowlers with ease and sweeping the Scotland spinners for a steady stream of boundaries. Jhamb flicked through midwicket for a boundary in the 28^th to bring up a half-century off 58 balls before pulling Woodhouse’s medium pace over midwicket in the following over for his first and only six. 
 
The only close shaves Jhamb had occurred in the 33^rd over against Saraswat. He drove the spinner over mid-off for four on a ball that barely cleared the ring fielder. On his next delivery, Jhamb poked away from his body and edged a ball wide of the keeper but with no slip in place it rolled away for four to the third man rope to take him to 76. 
 
Jhamb started the 36^th over on 87 while Srivastava was at the non-striker’s end on 49. By the end of the over, both had reached their own personal landmarks. After taking a two off the first ball, Jhamb pulled Chaplin’s medium pace over midwicket for a one-bounce four to move into the 90s. After another two was taken, Jhamb drove a length ball on the up through extra cover for another four to move to 99. 
 
His next delivery was a length ball in which he presented the full face of the bat to block it defensively, but the ball eluded the diving fielder at short midwicket and carried on down the ground for a single to take him to 100 off 85 balls and sparked a celebration notoriously inspired by Chris Gayle, removing the helmet and placing it on the bat handle while raising the bat above his head to USA’s supporters in the stands which included Jhamb’s dad Ajay. With Srivastava on strike after the single, the USA captain drove through cover for four to bring up his half-century off 51 balls. 
 
The record-setting partnership ended two balls later in the 37^th over when Srivastava failed on an attempted slog sweep against Jones’ offspin and was bowled for 52 to make it 215 for 3. Sudini was given the honor of walking out at No. 5 to team with Jhamb for the match-ending partnership in USA’s final match, but Jhamb did the majority of the work with Sudini adding just 2 runs in their 24-run stand. Jhamb drove his 16^th four over extra cover in the 39^th to take USA one shot away from victory, then ended it on the next delivery in fitting manner as he flicked through his favored leg side as the winning boundary skittled away through fine leg to end play as Jhamb finished with 17 fours to go along with his lone six. 
 
Jones ended with 2 for 46 off 9.4 overs for Scotland. Saraswat was the only other wicket-taker, ending with 1 for 46 off seven overs. Chaplin was Scotland’s least economical bowler, conceding 0 for 42 off five. Cutler was Scotland’s most economical, giving away 0 for 18 off four overs including a maiden but did not return after a solitary change spell. 
 
The win for USA was their first at the Men’s U19 World Cup since they defeated Afghanistan by nine wickets chasing a target of 87 in just 14.2 overs at Napier in New Zealand.