Estonian Cricketer Blasts New Record… Seriously!

Estonia's flag

To many people, cricket is a little-played game that is only really popular in England, Australia, the Indian subcontinent and one or two other nations. It is slow, boring, hard to understand and not really a global sport.  To people who feel that way, it may come as something of a surprise to learn that there is a major cricket record that is held by an Estonian! It may, in fact, be quite a large shock to even discover that there is an Estonian cricket team, with that former Soviet nation better known for its lightening internet and tech industries than it is for sport in general, let alone cricket!

Well, we have a stat that all good pub quizzers and cricket geeks should commit to their memory: the fastest century ever recorded in T20 cricket (and really any form of the game) was struck by Estonian, Sahil Chauhan, on the 16th of June, 2024. That might not sound like the most Estonian of names but, of course, we live in a global age, and whilst Chauhan was born in Pinjore, India, the now-32-year-old moved to Estonia in his 20s. Here we take a closer look at his incredible innings, and also some of the other super-fast T20 hundreds that have come before it.

Chauhan Smashes Cyprus for 27-ball Ton


Chauhan, who is a middle-order batter who plays for Tallinn United in Estonia’s domestic competitions, recorded an incredible 144 not out from just 41 balls. Estonia appeared in a little bother against Cyprus in the T20 international in Episkopi, Cyprus, as they slipped to 9/2, chasing a decent 192.

This was the second of six meetings between the teams, Estonia edging the first game by three wickets despite Chauhan being dismissed for a golden duck! Talk about zero to hero! He made no mistake in the second clash, smashing his team to victory from just 13 overs for the loss of four wickets. His unbelievable innings included 18 sixes, a record in a T20 international, as he registered 74.23% of his team’s 194 runs. He was named Player of the Series, unsurprisingly, and made other key contributions, including 60 from 22 balls, as Estonia won 4-2.

It is this super-fast century that he will be remembered for, however, which comes on the back of some strong showings in Estonian cricket. His 41 balls included six fours in addition to those 18 sixes, giving him a strike rate of more than 350! He brought up his 50 from 14 balls, moving to 105 13 balls after that with a six. His 27-ball century included five fours and 13 sixes. His 105, therefore, was scored 74% in sixes and 93% in boundaries! That’s some serious hitting and creates a record which is likely to last for some time.

Universe Boss Loses Record but Still Number Two

Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle (Credit Dun.can via Wikipedia)

Chauhan’s innings broke a long-standing record, that of Universe Boss, Chris Gayle. The muscular West Indian had held the record for the fastest T20 century for over a decade. The Jamaican blasted 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL in 2013. His 100 came up from just 30 balls, and the fact that Chauhan beat that mark, one that had lasted so long, by three balls, is why we suspect the new 27-ball record could be around for some time. But in this crazy world of modern power-hitting, who knows?

Gayle has hit far more T20 centuries – 21 – than any other player, so that is at least one record we do not see the Estonian taking from him. What’s more, 15 of those tons have been unbeaten! Amazingly, the next-best in terms of centuries in the 20-over format is Brendon McCullum, with just six! Returning to Gayle’s 30-ball 100, the towering West Indian opener ended with 17 sixes and 13 fours, facing 66 balls in total. His strike rate was 265, again showing just how remarkable Chauhan’s effort was. Gayle’s first 30 balls yielded eight fours and 11 sixes.

Another for the Stats Fans: Namibia v Nepal


Whilst Chauhan’s is now both the fastest T20 international 100 and also the fastest in any match in that version of the game, the record for the fastest 20-over 100 at international level was previously held by a Namibian. A Namibian passing the baton to an Estonian, what could be a more predictable cricketing record?

Whilst Gayle blasted his ton from 30 balls, on the international stage the previous benchmark was a more pedestrian 33 balls. That was struck by Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton for Namibia in their win against Nepal in February 2024. He made 101 in the end, being dismissed after 36 balls as his side clocked up a very hand 206/4 against the hosts in Kirtipur.

The number five hit 11 fours and eight sixes, striking at 280.56 to change the course of the game. They were 62/3 when he came to the crease, with less than half the innings remaining but he propelled them to a total that proved 20 too many for Nepal. His 33-ball ton beat the previous record of 34 balls which had been achieved by Nepalese batter Kushal Malla (who featured in the game against Namibia) against Mongolia.

Fastest Englishmen

David Willey
David Willey (Credit Ben Sutherland via Wikipedia)

As far as English batters go, the fastest to reach three figures in any T20 game remains David Willey. The powerful all-rounder required 40 balls and scored exactly 100, being dismissed immediately after holding his bat aloft. The former Yorkshire player hit 10 sixes and seven fours.

The record for the fastest international T20 by an Englishman belongs to current England star Liam Livingstone. The Lancashire batsman, who bowls both off-spin and leg-breaks as well, hit 103 off 43 balls, bringing up triple digits from 42 balls. His innings brought nine sixes but was, sadly, insufficient to help England beat Pakistan. In the 1st T20I of the series in 2021, Pakistan made 232/6, with Livingstone’s ton only proving enough to get the home side to 201 all out.