Nitish Sudini etched his name in the history books as the 18-year-old from Georgia became the first USA player to score a century at an U19 World Cup, or any ICC World Cup event, for the red, white and blue by scoring 117 not out against New Zealand. 

Photo credit: ICC/Getty

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
In three prior appearances at an ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, USA’s batters had accumulated a total of six half-centuries but nobody had come close to crossing three figures for the red, white and blue. That all changed on Sunday in Bulawayo as 18-year-old Georgia batter Nitish Sudini scored an unbeaten 117 off 133 balls to catapult USA from 40 for 5 to a final total of 253 for 9 before rain denied them a chance at victory as play was halted one over into New Zealand’s chase and never resumed with the match ending as a no result at Queens Sports Club. 
 
“I just love to bat,” said Sudini when interviewed during the innings break about his century. “I didn’t look at it as an international game or anything. I just looked at it as a practice match. I was just batting, getting my touch and then opening up. I was just waiting for the bad balls because I knew if I got the bad ball, it would go for four. So that’s all I was waiting for.”
 
That USA was able to split points with New Zealand was primarily due to Sudini’s heroics after a blistering new-ball spell from Flynn Morey left USA in tatters at the end of the Powerplay. Choosing to field first after winning the toss, New Zealand had USA under early pressure as Morey struck with his seventh ball of the day to start the fourth over. After being driven through cover by Amrinder Singh Gill on a wider half-volley to end the second over, Morey pitched up an inswinger that enticed another drive and beat Gill through the gate for 10 to make it 22 for 1. 
 
Morey took his second in the sixth over, bouncing out Adnit Jhamb with a short ball as an attempted hook was gloved down the leg side to the wicketkeeper for 6 to make it 29 for 2. The short ball plan worked again for New Zealand in the following over as Mason Clarke targeted the body of Sahil Garg, whose top-edged pull sailed straight to deep fine leg for 9 to make it 30 for 3. Morey nearly struck again in the eighth as Shiv Shani, who came into the lineup in place of Arjun Mahesh, had a difficult low chance put down at backward point when he was on 3 as a thick edge off an attempted drive went off the fingertips of the fielder diving right. 
 
However, Morey produced a double-wicket maiden in the 10^th. USA U19 captain Utkarsh Srivastava was the first in the sequence to go, prodding forward on a ball in the fifth stump channel to edge behind for his second duck of the tournament. Another short ball wicket came about on the final ball of the over as Amogh Arepally’s awkward pull attempt resulted in a top edge that floated gently to gully to make it 40 for 5. 
 
After scratching his way to 2 off 13 balls, Sudini had a close shave in the 15^th as a hook off Callum Samson landed just fine of Morey charging around from deep fine leg for a one-bounce four. Another pair of streaky fours followed, first from Shani pulled just wide of deep fine leg again before Sudini edged wide of the keeper with no slip in place. A much more confident shuffle down the wicket against offspinner Snehith Reddy in the 20^th resulted in a crisply driven four by Sudini through mid-off. A pair of fours by Shani in the 21^st off medium pacer Harry Burns, the first flicked through fine leg and the second punched through mid-off, brought up a half-century partnership between the pair. 
 
The stand between Shani and Sudini finally ended for 57 as Shani couldn’t decide to play or leave a wider ball from Reddy and poked an edge to slip for 32. However, Adit Kappa entered at No. 8 and provided the perfect foil for Sudini as the pair constructed a USA U19 World Cup record 103-run partnership. Kappa survived a near chance in the 28^th on 10 when he feathered a short ball from Clarke down the leg side that barely eluded a diving effort from the New Zealand keeper Marco Alpe to go to the fine leg rope for four. But there was no doubt about the boundary whipped through midwicket by Sudini later in the over. A tap and run single to end the 29^th off Burns brought up a 55-ball half-century for Sudini. 
 
Back-to-back fours behind square leg against spinner Tom Jones in the 33^rd over took Sudini to 64 and knocked Jones out of the bowling attack after just two overs. Morey replaced Jones in the 35^th but Sudini had more than found his groove by this stage and powered a drive through mid-off for another boundary to move to 72, eclipsing the previous best by a USA U19 player at an U19 World Cup made by Andy Mohammed in 2010 against Australia in Queenstown, New Zealand where the New York left-hander made 70 against the eventual World Cup winning bowling attack that included Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa. 
 
Left-arm pacer Samson finally ended the stand on the first ball of the 44^th when Kappa tried to clear long-off on the boundary but miscued a lofted drive that was comfortably taken 15 yards inside the rope for 40 to make it 200 for 7. Sudini was on 82 at the time and the question remained whether or not the rest of the USA tail had enough resolve to stick around and help him get to a century. However, it was Sudini who nearly fell in the 45^thfor 83 when a pull shot off Burns was spilled by Morey who sprinted left along the rope at square leg and dove forward but couldn’t hold on as the ball burst through his fingers and trickled to the rope for another boundary. 
 
Sudini moved from 93 to 99 in the following over when a pitched up delivery by Clarke was creamed over long-on for his only six of the day. After a wide on the next ball, a full delivery was tapped gently into the covers to bring up 100 off 117 balls and spark raucous celebrations from the team balcony as well as the parents cheering section with both of Sudini’s parents present having made the trip from Georgia. After letting out a roar and a wave of the bat, Sudini then pulled out a handwritten message from a piece of paper folded up in his pocket that read, “USA, this is for you.” 
 
Sahir Bhatia, who had been alongside Sudini when he reached his century, fell in the 48^th for 5 when he mistimed a flick over midwicket off Clarke and was caught 20 yards inside the rope to make it 231 for 8. A yorker from Clarke cleaned up Rishabh Shimpi for a duck two balls later to end the 48^th at 231 for 9. 
 
But Sudini cleverly farmed the strike off the final two overs as last man Ritvik Appidi never faced a legal delivery. Sudini started the 49^th shuffling across his stumps to pull Burns through fine leg for four. After turning down a single on the next ball, Sudini jammed out a yorker to squeeze it between the keeper and short third for another boundary. He then turned down two more singles before taking a single off the final ball of the over to remain on strike for the 50^th. 
 
Sudini offered another life on 112 to start the final over when a low full toss from Clarke was scooped over the bowled and grassed on an acrobatic one-handed diving effort from mid-on. Watching the ball dribble away toward mid-off, Sudini set off trying for two but didn’t have time to come back for a second. However, he got back on strike immediately afterward when he scampered for the striker’s end on a leg side wide bowled to Appidi that required the keeper to dive to save it from going for five wides to the rope. After turning down two more singles, Sudini collected a two off the fourth legal delivery before five wides were sprayed down the leg side on the next ball to take USA past 250. Two more runs powered to long-off by Sudini off the final ball of the innings took USA to their final total of 253 for 9. 
 
Having taken four wickets in his new-ball burst, Morey never got another breakthrough and ended with 4 for 40 off 10 overs. Fellow opening bowler Clarke ended with 3 for 55 off his 10 while left-arm pacer Samson returned the most economical figures of the day by taking 1 for 37. Reddy was the only spinner to take a wicket, conceding 1 for 55. Burns was New Zealand’s least economical bowler on the day, giving away 0 for 53 off eight overs.  
 
New Zealand started off their chase in aggressive fashion as Hugo Bogue pulled Shimpi over midwicket for six before another shot over square leg bounced over the rope for four to end the first over of play. However, that was the last ball bowled on the day as heavy rains proceeded to pelt the outfield over the next three hours, rendering a restart impossible. 
 
USA now has four rest days before their final match in Group B on Friday against Bangladesh, who lost to India in their only match of the tournament thus far.