NZ vs SA, Semi Final 1: Finn Allen’s 33-ball hundred sends New Zealand into T20 World Cup Final

NEW DELHI: A ruthless New Zealand side rode on a record 33 ball century from local lad Finn Allen to thrash South Africa by nine wickets and march into the T20 World Cup final on Wednesday.

Allen, who will turn out for Kolkata Knight Riders in three weeks, hammered 10 fours and 8 sixes to wrap up the chase of 170 in just 12.5 overs, leaving the stunned South African unit searching for answers.

The knock was the fastest hundred in the history of the T20 World Cup and an exhibition of raw power rarely seen at Eden Gardens.

Firm on the front foot, Allen produced range hitting of the highest order as balls sailed deep into the stands and vanished into the night sky.

A T20 batting masterclass from Finn Allen! ✓️

The fastest ever ICC Men’s T20 World Cup century (100* off 33) and the semi-final Player of the Match 🫡#T0ohlCp #ZSi.wte.oh/Ty7HL

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) Mrh4 06

From 76 to 100, Allen needed only five balls from Marco Jansen, whose promising outing quickly spiraled into a nightmare.

Led by Mitchell Santner, New Zealand never looked under pressure. Earlier, they had restricted the Proteas to 169 for 8 on the back of sharp spells from left arm spinner Cole McConchie and Rachin Ravindra.

KKR recruits do the job at home ground

If South Africa found some consolation in Jansen’s 30 ball 54, newly signed KKR openers Tim Seifert and Allen erased that hope with a blistering 117 run partnership in just nine overs.

This is the Black Caps’ second appearance in a T20 World Cup final after 2021 in the UAE.

Between Allen and Seifert, the pair struck 13 fours and six sixes. The contest was virtually sealed in the powerplay when 84 runs came, including 22 off the sixth over bowled by Corbin Bosch.

Allen brought up his fifty in just 19 balls and then needed only 14 more deliveries for the next fifty, despite taking a brief medical time out in between.

Kolkata Knight Riders coach Abhishek Nayar would have watched with delight as intent met execution in emphatic fashion.

With dew settling in during the latter half of the South African innings, the Eden surface became ideal for stroke play and both openers cashed in.

Allen simply trusted the bounce, picked the length early and muscled the ball cleanly to every corner of the ground.

New Zeland spinners lay the foundation

Earlier, the spinners set the tone before Jansen’s late assault lifted South Africa to a competitive 169 for 8.

On a surface where scoring was not straightforward at the start, off spinner McConchie and Ravindra tightened the screws on a star studded Proteas top order that paid for its rash strokes.

Eventually, Jansen and Tristan Stubbs attempted a rescue act to give the bowlers something to defend.

The pair added 73 runs for the sixth wicket after South Africa had slumped to 77 for 5 at the halfway stage.

As the innings wore on, dew altered the conditions and the pitch began to skid, making batting easier than it had been early on.

Jansen, fast emerging as one of the premier all rounders in the game, cleared the ropes five times with towering strikes that traveled deep into the stands.

His two sixes off Lockie Ferguson in the penultimate over briefly lifted South African hopes and would have pleased Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.

Yet by the final whistle, Jansen’s expensive spell with the ball and Allen’s fearless stroke play had completely turned the narrative, wiping away any smiles from the South African camp.

(With PTI Inputs)