Kolkata, March 5 (UNI) Centurion Finn Allen quickly shifted focus to Sunday’s final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after guiding New Zealand to a commanding nine-wicket win over South Africa in the semifinal with a record-breaking innings.
Allen produced a scintillating display, smashing the fastest century in the history of the men’s T20 World Cup. The right-hander reached his hundred in just 33 balls, eclipsing the previous record of 47 deliveries held by Chris Gayle.
The explosive opener hammered 10 fours and eight sixes, sharing a dominant partnership with Tim Seifert (58) as New Zealand chased down a target of 170 in under 13 overs.
The emphatic win booked the Black Caps’ first T20 World Cup final appearance since 2021 and boosted confidence within the camp ahead of Sunday’s title clash.
“To get one over them is a huge confidence booster for us going into Sunday,” ICC quoted Allen after the victory. “They’ve been the in-form team the whole tournament. So I think as a group, to take that win going into Sunday is huge for us, but you got to start again on Sunday. It’s a new opposition, different conditions, and all that.”
“For us, we just look to take the positives out of this game and get a flight to Ahmedabad tomorrow and start again,” he added.
While Allen and Seifert dominated the chase, New Zealand’s bowlers laid the foundation earlier. Matt Henry, Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie picked up two wickets each to restrict South Africa’s powerful batting lineup.
Allen credited the bowlers for setting the tone after captain Mitchell Santner won the toss.
“They set it up for us with the ball by taking early wickets on what we thought would be a very good batting wicket,” Allen said.
New Zealand will now await the outcome of the second semifinal between India and England to learn their opponents in Sunday’s final.
“I think we’re happy with anyone,” Allen added. “If we play our best cricket, we can beat anybody.”
