In a moment of pure batting carnage for the ages that will be part of cricketing folklore, Finn Allen pushed New Zealand to the final in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Chasing a competitive 170 at the Eden Gardens was Allen’s historic 33-ball century that transformed that high-stakes semifinal game into a one-sided masterclass when the Black Caps ran down the target in just 12.5 overs to capture a 9-wicket win.
The Allen Hurricane
From the opening ball of the chase, Finn Allen appeared to be a man on a mission. Along with Tim Seifert, he dismantled the South African pace attack, the most economical in the tournament until tonight. The duo raced to 84/0 in the Powerplay — the highest ever in a T20 World Cup knockout match. Allen reached his half-century in a blistering 19 balls (the joint-fastest of the tournament) before speeding up even faster.
A brief scare with a leg cramp in the 11th over led him off the track to a breakneck pace; he refused to let up. He broke the record while sealing the win and his milestone by smashing Marco Jansen for a boundary to reach 100 from 33 balls*, the fastest century in Men’s T20 World Cup history.
Proteas’ Recovery Falls Short
At the start of the evening, South Africa recovered from a disastrous start. Mitchell Santner’s choice to bowl first served him well early in the game when the Proteas fell to 77/5 at the half mark. But a gritty counter-attack from Marco Jansen (54 off 30)* and Tristan Stubbs (29 off 24) breathed life into the innings.
One of Jansen’s biggest contributions was clinical in the death overs, firing back-to-back sixes off Lockie Ferguson to set South Africa up 169/8. At the break, many felt the Proteas had earned enough on a firm grip, but hadn’t factored the “Finn Allen factor.” What’s Next? New Zealand is now making a march to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, for its final on March 8.
They are looking ahead to the winner of the next semifinal, tomorrow’s showdown between India and England. For South Africa, the "choker" tag will unfortunately hang on for another couple more years after their undefeated run in the tournament came to an emphatic close.
