Namibia’s Loftie-Eaton smashes fastest T20I hundred

Jan Nicoll Loftie-Eaton 

Namibia’s Jan Nicoll Loftie-Eaton broke the record for the fastest T20I hundred in men’s cricket achieving the milestone during the opening match of the tri-nation series in Nepal on Tuesday.

Playing against the home side, he brought up his century in 33 balls, thus bettering Nepal’s Kushal Malla’s record by one ball. In all, Loftie-Eaton scored 101 off 36 balls, which included 11 fours and eight sixes. The 92 runs he scored in boundaries were also the most by a batter in T20Is.

Malla’s feat had come during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, when Nepal had smashed 314-3 against Mongolia. It was the same match in which Dipendra Singh Airee had hit the fastest T20I fifty, off nine balls. Coincidentally, Loftie-Eaton broke the record off Airee’s bowling with Malla watching in the field.

Namibia scored 206-4. Later, Loftie-Eaton also picked up 2 for 29 from his three overs as Nepal were bowled out for 186 in the 19th over.