Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton of Namibia etched his name in cricketing history by smashing the fastest century in men's T20 International cricket during the opening match of the tri-nation series held in Nepal.
Facing the home team, Loftie-Eaton reached his century in just 33 balls, surpassing Nepal's Kushal Malla's previous record by one ball.
His blitzkrieg innings saw him score 101 runs off 36 deliveries, including an impressive tally of 11 fours and eight sixes. Notably, the 92 runs he accumulated through boundaries set a new record for the most runs scored in boundaries by a batter in T20Is.
Malla had previously set the record during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where Nepal scored 314 for 3 against Mongolia. It was in the same match that Dipendra Singh Airee had struck the fastest T20I fifty, achieving the milestone off just nine balls.
Loftie-Eaton's explosive innings commenced when he came to bat with Namibia at 62 for 3 in the 11th over. He wasted no time, hitting two sixes and a four in his initial six deliveries, and reached his fifty in a mere 18 balls.
AN INNINGS TO REMEMBER 🏏💥
— Official Cricket Namibia (@CricketNamibia1) February 27, 2024
Nicol Loftie-Eaton reaching his century & breaking the world record for Fastest T20I century🏏 101(36) #RichelieuEagles #ixu #itstorga #triodata #Airlink #Radiowave #Freshfm #NOVA #EaglesPride pic.twitter.com/SxFnZe5du1
Teaming up with Malan Kruger, Loftie-Eaton forged a formidable partnership, adding 135 runs off 52 balls for the fourth wicket. Their partnership propelled Namibia to a formidable total of 206 for 4. Kruger, who opened the innings, remained unbeaten on 59 off 48 balls.
In addition to his batting heroics, Loftie-Eaton showcased his all-round skills by contributing with the ball, claiming 2 for 29 from his three overs. His exceptional performance played a pivotal role as Nepal was eventually bowled out for 186 in the 19th over.
What are the top 10 fastest T20I hundreds?
Player | Balls | Match | Venue | Date |
| Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton | 33 | Nepal v Namibia | Kirtipur | 27/2/2024 |
| Kushal Malla | 34 | Nepal v Mongolia | Hangzhou | 27/09/2023 |
| DA Miller | 35 | South Africa v Bangladesh | Potchefstroom | 29/10/2017 |
| RG Sharma | 35 | India v Sri Lanka | Indore | 22/12/2017 |
| S Wickramasekara | 35 | Czech Republic v Turkey | Ilfov County | 30/08/2019 |
| S Periyalwar | 39 | Romania v Turkey | Ilfov County | 29/08/2019 |
| Zeeshan Kukikhel | 39 | Hungary v Austria | Lower Austria | 05/06/2022 |
| Johnson Charles | 39 | West Indies v South Africa | Centurion | 26/03/2023 |
| K Kadowaki-Fleming | 40 | Japan v South Korea | Sano | 15/10/2022 |
| Ollie Hairs | 40 | Scotland v Italy | Edinburgh | 24/07/2023 |
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