Who Is Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton? Namibian Cricketer Smashes Record Of Fastest T20I Century

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton grabbed the limelight for the first time in his international career on Tuesday (February 27) as the Namibian cricketer smashed the record of fastest T20I century during a tri-nation series in Nepal.

Taking just 33 deliveries to reach the mark against hosts Nepal in Kiritpur, Jan Nicol Loftie Eaton scored 101 runs off 36 balls, smashing eight sixes and 11 fours while striking at the rate of 280.55.

The previous record was held by Nepal's Kushal Malla, who scored a 34-ball century against Mongolia last year. Loftie-Eaton's latest knock took Namibia to 206/4 while Nepal were all out for 186 in the 19th over. The 33-year-old southpaw scored 92 runs in boundaries.

Who is Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton?

Born on March 15, 2001 in the Namibian capital Windhoek, Jan Nicole Loftie-Eaton made his debut on February 8, 2018, for Namibia in the 2017-18 Sunfoil 3-Day Cup. He has previously been included in the Namibian Under-19 Cricket World Cup squad. On February 11, 2018, he participated in the 2017-18 CSA Provincial One-Day Challenge and made his List A debut for Namibia.

In August 2018, he was named in Namibia's squad for the 2018 Africa T20 Cup. On September 14, 2018, he made his Twenty20 debut for Namibia at the 2018 Africa T20 Cup. In October 2018, he was named in Namibia's squad in the Southern sub-region group for the 2018-19 ICC World Twenty20 Africa Qualifier tournament in Botswana.

He was one of the 25 cricketers included in Cricket Namibia's roster announced in June 2019 in preparation for the 2019-20 campaign. He was one of three rookie players to be given a national contract with the Namibian national team in December 2019. He was included in Namibia's ODI team for the 2020 Oman Tri-Nation Series later that month.

He was included in Namibia's T20I squad for their series against Uganda in March 2021. On April 3, 2021, he played his first T20I match for Namibia against Uganda. He was included in the squad for the ICC T20 World Cup in September of 2021. He was included in Namibia's ODI team for the 2021 Tri-Nation Series in November of 2021. On November 27, 2021, he played his first ODI match against Oman.

On 27 February 2024, he scored the fastest century in men's T20Is, in terms of number of deliveries faced (33).