Finn Allen’s record-breaking century powered New Zealand into the final as they chased down 170 with 43 balls to spare against South Africa in the first semifinal of the ongoing T20 World Cup at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday. The opener smashed the fastest century in T20 World Cup history off just 33 balls. The innings, studded with 10 fours and 8 sixes, is joint third-fastest in international T20s.
Opening the chase, Allen and Tim Seifert launched a blistering assault from the outset. Their aggressive stroke play produced 117 runs for the opening stand. Before being bowled by Kagiso Rabada, Seifert scored 58 off 33 balls, hitting 7 fours and 2 sixes. Even after Seifert’s departure, the scoring rate did not slow down as Allen continued to take apart the Proteas bowlers single-handedly.
The nervous nineties did not trouble him in the slightest. Before taking strike in the 13th over, Allen was unbeaten on 76 off 28 balls. From there, he struck Marco Jansen for two fours and two sixes and then reached his century with a boundary off the fifth ball of the over, sealing New Zealand’s place in the final.
More to follow…
