Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, an unheralded cricketer, entered the record books on Tuesday (February 2, 2024) by hitting a 33-ball century. He achieved the feat at one of cricket's nondescript venues, in the backdrop of the Himalayas, far away from the international media glare. (More Cricket News)
During a low-key T20I Tri-Series match between two Associate teams -- Nepal vs Namibia -- at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, Loftie-Eaton played one of the most devastating knocks in the history of the game.
By the end of their 20-over match, the news of his batting exploits had already become a must-have item for every publication. The 22-year-old's knock was one for the ages. It featured 11 fours and eight sixes, and the strike rate was 280.56 -- almost three runs per ball.
In the process, the boy from Windhoek zoomed past some of the greatest names in world cricket.
Here's a look at the top 10 list of fastest centuries scored in T20Is:
1. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (33 balls) for Namibia vs Nepal at Kirtipur, Nepal on February 2, 2024
2. Kushal Malla (34 balls) for Nepal vs Mongolia at Hangzhou, China on September 27, 2023
3. David Miller (35 balls) for South Africa vs Bangladesh at Potchefstroom, South Africa on October 29, 2017
4. Rohit Sharma (35 balls) for India vs Sri Lanka at Indore, India on December 22, 2017
5. Sudesh Wickramasekara (35 balls) for Czech Republic vs Turkey at Ilfov County, Romania on August 30, 2019
6. Sivakumar Periyalwar (39 balls) for Romania vs Turkey at Ilfov County, Romania on August 29, 2019
7. Zeeshan Kukikhel (39 balls) for Hungary vs Austria at Lower Austria on June 5, 2022
8. Johnson Charles (39 balls) for West Indies vs South Africa at Centurion, South Africa on March 26, 2023
9. Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (40) for Japan vs South Korea at Sano, Japan on October 15, 2022
10. Ollie Hairs (40) for Scotland vs Italy at Edinburgh, Scotland on July 24, 2023.
