Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton
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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.

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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