NZ Stuns SA: Allen's Record Century in T20 WC Semi

T20 World Cup Semi-Final: New Zealand Stuns South Africa in a Historic Chase

The Men’s ICC T20 World Cup will be hosted by West Indies and the US. In 2026, South Africa and New Zealand will face off in Kolkata. You may have anticipated that they would compete closely, however Finn Allen was able to get into a groove to lead an unforgettable energy filled T20 experience, whether you were watching at home Live Updates on Spinmatch. Here are the main sections detailing how the Black Caps beat the Saltdogs to earn a spot in the final, with a primetime 9 wicket win.

South Africa’s Early Stumble and Jansen’s Rescue

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and decided to start the match by bowling. The decision proved highly beneficial because Proteas faced difficulties from the first moments of the match when Cole McConchie took two wickets within his first two balls after he bowled out Quinton de Kock for 10 runs and Ryan Rickelton for 0 runs. Dewald Brevis(34)[1] provided temporary resistance but Rachin Ravindra took the important wickets of Aiden Markram(18) and David Miller(6) to put South Africa under intense pressure- at the end of the 11th over they had collapsed to 77/5. Marco Jansen and Tristan Stubbs(29) created a 73-run partnership which brought South Africa back into the match through their exceptional sixth-wicket combination. Jansen achieved explosive performance during the final overs which resulted in him scoring 55 runs without losing his wicket off 30 balls through two fours and five sixes. South Africa reached a midway score of 169/8 which established a strong position for them through the first half of the innings.

The Finn Allen Masterclass Breaks Records

The opening duo of Tim Seifert and Finn Allen took no prisoners when they pursued 170 runs by achieving a rapid start which produced 84 runs during the Powerplay without losing any wickets to create the highest Powerplay total which has ever been recorded in T20 World Cup history.

Finn Allen showed his complete batting power against one of the strongest fast bowling lineups in the world while Seifert scored 58 runs from 33 balls before Kagiso Rabada dismissed him.

Allen reached his 50 runs within 19 balls after which he maintained his scoring ability until he achieved 100 runs through a 33 ball performance which established a new record for the fastest century in Men’s T20 World Cup history by breaking Chris Gayle’s previous 47 ball record. Allen finished his batting performance by achieving an above 300 strike rate while scoring 100 runs which included 10 fours and 8 sixes. New Zealand chased down the target in 12.5 overs for a victory by 9 wickets while they had 43 balls remaining.

What’s Next for the Finalists?

South Africa experienced extreme pain from this outcome because their team had won every match until they faced New Zealand in their first knockout battle. New Zealand reached the Sunday final for the Narendra Modi Stadium match which took place in Ahmedabad because they defeated South Africa to become finalists who would later compete against India or current champion England in the upcoming second semi-final.