England U19 batter Ben Mayes broke multiple national records in the U19 World Cup against Scotland on Wednesday.
Ben Mayes breaks England U19 records in mammoth World Cup knock
England were inserted to bat after Scotland skipper Thomas Knight won the toss in Harare. Ben Dawkins was dismissed in the third over, bringing Mayes to the crease at 12-1.
He hit his fourth ball to the boundary, and began at a rapid clip. He got to a half-century in the 13th over of the innings, off 32 balls. Barely 10 overs later, he had doubled, getting to a century off 65 deliveries. With more than half the innings remaining, Mayes eyed a massive score.
He kept the incredible pace, reaching 150 off 98 balls, meaning his first, second and third fifty runs had come off 32, 33 and 33 balls respectively. Three of the next seven deliveries he faced were hit for six, and he started to accelerate towards the back end of the innings. But in the 46th over, he nicked a reverse-sweep to the keeper off Max Chaplin, walking back for an incredible 191 off 117 balls.
Match 17, England Under-19 vs Scotland Under-19
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Mayes' score is the highest by an England batter in youth ODIs, beating the previous record of 174 held jointly by Dan Lawrence and Freddie McCann. It is also the joint fourth-highest score in all youth ODIs, and the joint second-highest at an U19 World Cup. Sri Lanka's Viran Chamuditha's 192 from this year's edition remains the tournament record.
Mayes' century off 65 balls is also an England U19 record. Current skipper Thomas Rew held it previously, with a 73-ball effort against India last year.
England eventually scored 404-6, their highest total in youth ODIs. It is also the sixth-highest total in all U19 World Cup history.
Still only 18 years old, Mayes made his senior professional debuts in List A and T20 cricket last year. He has played 11 50-over games and three T20s for Hampshire.
Fastest centuries in youth ODIs (where balls faced are recorded)
| Balls | Name | For | Against | Venue | Season |
| 42 | Sameer Minhas | Pakistan | Zimbabwe | Harare | 2025/26 |
| 51 | Will Malajczuk | Australia | Japan | Windhoek | 2025/26 |
| 52 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | India | England | Worcester | 2025 |
| 53 | Kamran Ghulam | Pakistan | England | Leicester | 2013 |
| 56 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | India | UAE | Dubai | 2025/26 |
| 63 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | India | South Africa | Benoni | 2025/26 |
| 65 | Ben Mayes | England | Scotland | Harare | 2025/26 |
| 65 | Jayden Draper | Australia | India | Brisbane | 2025/26 |
| 68 | Tamim Iqbal | Bangladesh | England | Fatullah | 2005/06 |
| 69 | Raj Bawa | India | Uganda | Tarouba | 2021/22 |
Highest individual scores in youth ODIs
| Score | Player | For | Against | Venue | Year |
| 215 (153) | Jorich van Schalkwyk | South Africa | Zimbabwe | Harare | 2025 |
| 192 (143) | Viran Chamuditha | Sri Lanka | Japan | Windhoek | 2026 |
| 191 (152) | Hasitha Boyagoda | Sri Lanka | Kenya | Lincoln | 2018 |
| 191 (117) | Ben Mayes | England | Scotland | Harare | 2026 |
| 180 (144) | Jakob Bhula | New Zealand | Kenya | Christchurch | 2018 |
| 179* (155) | Theo Doropoulos | Australia | England | Sydney | 2003 |
| 177* (114) | Ambati Rayudu | India | England | Taunton | 2002 |
| 176 (129) | Donovan Pagon | West Indies | Scotland | Dunedin | 2002 |
| 174 (150) | Dan Lawrence | England | Fiji | Chattogram | 2016 |
| 174 (139) | Freddie McCann | England | Sri Lanka | Hove | 2024 |
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