Kiwis delivered a powerful performance against Proteas in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens. The star of the night was Finn Allen, who played an unbelievable innings and smashed the fastest century in T20 World Cup history.
Chasing a target of 170 runs, New Zealand completed the chase in just 12.5 overs and secured a comfortable victory. Allen incredible 100 runs from only 33 balls completely changed the match and helped New Zealand reach the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and decided to bowl first. The decision turned out to be perfect. The pitch at Eden Gardens offered some help to the bowlers, especially spinners, and New Zealand used it very well.
South Africa entered the match with great confidence. They were the only unbeaten team in the tournament and were considered strong contenders for the title. However, things quickly went wrong for them.
New Zealand bowlers started strongly and put South Africa under pressure from the beginning. The opening breakthrough came early when Cole McConchie dismissed Quinton de Kock for 10 runs. Just one ball later, Ryan Rickelton was also out for a duck.
The early wickets shocked the South African team and their batting lineup struggled to recover. Soon after, Rachin Ravindra joined the attack and took important wickets. He removed captain Aiden Markram for 18 runs and also dismissed the dangerous David Miller for just 8.
At that stage, South Africa were in serious trouble at 77 for 5 and looked like they might not even reach a competitive total.
Jansen and Stubbs Fight Back
Just when it seemed South Africa might collapse completely, Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen tried to rebuild the innings. The two batsmen played carefully at first, focusing on rotating the strike and avoiding unnecessary risks.
Gradually they started to score faster and brought some momentum back to the innings.
The biggest moment came in the 18th over when they attacked Jimmy Neesham and scored 22 runs. This over helped South Africa push their total higher and gave them some hope.
Marco Jansen played an outstanding innings. Using his height and power, he hit several big sixes. He smashed five sixes during his knock, including two back-to-back sixes off Lockie Ferguson.
Jansen reached his half-century in just 27 balls and remained unbeaten on 55 runs from 30 balls. Thanks to his efforts, South Africa managed to finish their innings at 169 for 8 in 20 overs.
Although the team had struggled earlier, the final total looked competitive and many fans believed the bowlers could defend it.
Finn Allen and Tim Seifert Destroys South Africa Bowling
However, New Zealand had other plans. From the very start of the chase, the New Zealand openers played aggressive cricket.
Finn Allen and Tim Seifert came out with a clear strategy to attack the South African bowlers. In the first over itself, Seifert hit Kagiso Rabada for 11 runs, showing their intent.
Kiwis openers put Proteas under huge pressure. Allen especially looked unstoppable. Bowlers like Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, who are usually very accurate and disciplined, struggled to control the runs. Allen kept hitting boundaries and sixes with great ease. His powerful shots cleared the ropes many times, leaving the South African bowlers frustrated.
By the end of the sixth over, New Zealand had already scored 84 runs without losing a wicket. This was a massive start in a T20 chase, and it almost ended the contest very early in the game. The South African team looked shocked as the runs kept coming quickly.
Allen innings soon became historic. He reached his century in only 33 balls, making it the fastest hundred in T20 World Cup history. With this incredible knock, he broke the previous record and created a new milestone in the tournament. During his innings, Allen hit 10 beautiful boundaries and smashed 8 huge sixes that thrilled the crowd.
What made his batting even more impressive was the variety of shots he played. At times he lofted the ball over the covers with great style, and at other moments he pulled short balls high into the stands. His control and confidence were remarkable throughout the innings.
Tim Seifert also played an important role in the chase. He scored a quick 58 runs from 33 balls and supported Allen perfectly. Together, the two openers built a strong partnership of 117 runs for the first wicket. This partnership completely put New Zealand in control of the match.
Seifert was eventually dismissed in the 10th over when Rabada finally managed to take a wicket. However, by that time the result was almost certain. The required runs were very small compared to the number of overs remaining.
After Seifert dismissal, Rachin Ravindra joined Allen at the crease. The two batsmen calmly continued the chase without taking unnecessary risks. Allen remained focused and kept playing positive shots.
Finally, it was Allen who finished the match in style. He hit a powerful drive through mid-off to score the winning runs. New Zealand completed the chase with a huge 9 wicket victory and still had 43 balls remaining. It was a remarkable performance, and Finn Allen’s incredible century will be remembered as one of the greatest innings in T20 World Cup history.
Match Summary
Toss : New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first
South Africa innings : 169/9 in 20 overs
Top scorer : Marco Jansen 55 runs off 30 balls
Top Bowler : Rachin Ravindra 2/29 in 4 overs
New Zealand innings : 173/1 in 12.5 overs
Top scorer : Finn Allen 100* in 33 balls
Top Bowler : Kagiso Rabada 1/28 in 3 overs
Result : New Zealand won by 9 wickets
Player of the match : Finn Allen 100* in 33 balls