Namibia's Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton scripts history; slams fastest-ever T20I century

Namibia batter Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton on Tuesday (27th February) scripted history as he set the record for the fastest T20I century. He surpassed Nepal’s Kushal Malla to achieve the feat as he slammed the century in just 33 balls to etch his name in the record books.

Namibia batter Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton achieved the feat in the ongoing T20I match against Nepal. The first game of the tri-series between Nepal, Namibia, and the Netherlands is taking place at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.

Namibia won the toss and opted to bat first. It wasn’t a fruitful start for them as they lost quick wickets and were under pressure. They were tumbling at 62/3 and it was then Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton stood tall for his team and changed the complexion of the game. He came to bat at No.5 and did something that made many stand and applaud him.

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton wasn’t expected to do this type of carnage because of his poor T20I record. However, when the chips were down he made sure that he proved many wrong and bailed his team out of trouble. The batter exhibited his hitting best and made a mockery of the Nepal bowlers.

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton overtook Kushal Malla, who hit a sensational century off 34 balls, representing Nepal against Mongolia in the Asian Games Men’s Cricket Competition in September 2023. This surely would be a career-changing moment for him and a proud moment for the whole of Namibia cricket.

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton ended up with an innings of 101 off 36 balls. He hardly put a foot wrong in his innings and entertained the crowd thoroughly. The southpaw batted with a strike rate of 280.56 and his innings was laced with 11 fours and eight sixes.

His sensational innings powered Namibia to a total of 206/4 in their 20 overs. Before this innings, he averaged just 10.70 from 32 matches, scoring 182 runs at a strike rate of 100.55. However, this innings surely would’ve gained him a huge amount of confidence.

Fastest T20I century; Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton tops the elite list

With his magnificent century, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton topped the elite list of batters with the fastest T20I centuries. Apart from Nepal, Kusal Malla, David Miller, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, and Czech Republic’s Sudesh Wickramasekara are also on the list.

While David Miller achieved the feat against Bangladesh, Rohit Sharma scripted history by slamming his fastest T20I ton against Sri Lanka Indore. S Periyalwar, Zeeshan Kukikhel, Johnson Charles, and K Kadowaki-Fleming are also in the elite list of batters with the fastest T20I century to their name.

Here’s the list: