Fastest T20I century: Name in the record books by smashing a sensational century in the T20 International format. Exhibiting an exceptional blend of power and precision, the young talent demolished the previous records with an extraordinary inning.
Amassing an incredible 11 boundaries, including a staggering 8 sixes, the batsman showcased a fearless and aggressive approach at the crease. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the blistering strike rate of 280.56, a testament to the player’s ability to dominate the bowling attack.
Against Nepal, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton of Namibia made history by hitting the fastest T20I century. In just 33 balls, he achieved his century.
On February 27, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton of Namibia broke the world record for the fastest T20I century. In the first match of a tri-series that also involves the Netherlands, he made history against Nepal in Kirtipur by scoring a century in just 33 deliveries.
Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton’s fastest T20I century
Loftie-Eaton broke the previous record, which was held by Kushal Malla, who in September 2023 during the Asian Games Men’s Cricket Competition for Nepal, hit a century in 34 balls.
In the match against Nepal, Loftie-Eaton, 22, unleashed a devastating assault, amassing 101 runs off of just 36 balls. With a strike rate of 280.56, his brilliant performance featured eight sixes and eleven boundaries. Namibia chose to bat first after winning the toss, and this outstanding effort enabled them to score a total of 206/4 in their allocated 20 overs.
The opening duo of Michael van Lingen (20 off 19) and Malan Kruger (59* off 48) scored 36 runs in the first six overs as Namibia’s batting started off strongly. When Karan KC ended Van Lingen’s innings, JP Kotze (11) and Jan Frylinck (5) were removed by Rohit Paudel, leaving Namibia at 62/3.
At this point, Loftie-Eaton and Kruger joined forces and produced a brilliant partnership of 135 runs for the fourth wicket. In the last over, Loftie-Eaton’s outstanding century came to an end when he was caught by Gulsan Jha off the bowling of Abinash Bohara.
Amazingly, Loftie-Eaton’s T20I record wasn’t great before his spectacular century on Tuesday. In 32 appearances, he averaged just 10.70 and scored 182 runs with a strike rate of 100.55.
Still, his incredible century against Nepal has propelled him to the top of the T20I century leaders. Loftie-Eaton has surpassed Nepal’s Kushal Malla’s previous record, which was 34 balls, to take the top spot on the leaderboard for fastest T20I hundreds.
Top of the rankings with amazing tone is Loftie-Eaton.
With 35 deliveries to register T20I hundreds, this incredible achievement moves David Miller of South Africa, Rohit Sharma of India, and Sudesh Wickramasekara of the Czech Republic to a shared third spot.
In October 2017, Miller played against Bangladesh in Potchefstroom and amassed an undefeated 101 from 36 balls. In December 2017, Rohit Sharma amassed an incredible 118 from 43 balls in an innings that included 10 sixes and 12 fours against Sri Lanka in Indore. In August 2019, during the Continental Cup in Ilfov County, Wickramasekara scored 104* off 36 balls against Turkey, cementing their names in T20I history alongside Loftie-Eaton’s record-breaking effort.
