New Zealand’s Finn Allen stole the show with his aggressive batting display at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the NZ vs SA T20 World Cup 2026 Semi-Final match on Wednesday. Riding on his spectacular knock, the New Zealand cricket team became the first team to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2026, defeating the Proteas by 9 wickets.
New Zealand has booked its spot in the T20 World Cup final 2026!
The finish was emphatic: 4, 4, 6, 6, 4 off Marco Jansen as New Zealand sealed the chase with 43 balls to spare. Finn Allen starred with a brilliant century, making the victory against South Africa look easy.
South Africa’s Batting Collapse
South Africa struggled to get going on a slow pitch where the ball gripped and didn’t come onto the bat easily. Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra bowled smartly, picking up early wickets of key batsmen, including Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, and David Miller. By the halfway point of their innings, South Africa were 77 for four, looking like they might fall well short of a competitive total.
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Later in the innings, Jimmy Neesham’s over gave South Africa some momentum. Marco Jansen and Tristan Stubbs hit aggressively, adding 71 runs together to help the team reach 169 for eight. Jansen finished unbeaten on 55, his highest score in T20Is.
New Zealand’s Historic Chase
New Zealand’s chase was clinical from the start. Seifert and Allen attacked the new ball, taking advantage of the dew on the pitch. The openers ended the PowerPlay on 84 without losing a wicket, the second-highest score in this tournament’s PowerPlay phase. Allen continued to dominate, finishing his innings with a historic century. With this commanding performance, New Zealand comfortably booked their spot in the T20 World Cup 2026 final.
Finn Allen scripted history as he slammed the fastest T20 World Cup 2026 century. Finn Allen has scored the fastest century in T20 World Cup history, reaching 100 in just 33 balls. He broke Chris Gayle’s previous record of 47 balls from 2016. The opener hit his first fifty in only 17 balls and his second fifty in just 16 balls.
Here are the 5 fastest centuries in T20 World Cup history:
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Finn Allen – 33 balls
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Chris Gayle – 47 balls
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Harry Brook – 50 balls
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Chris Gayle – 50 balls
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Brendon McCullum – 51 balls
Highest Partnership Centuries in T20 World Cup Knockouts
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170* – Jos Buttler & Alex Hales (ENG) vs India, Adelaide, 2022 SF
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117 – Finn Allen & Tim Seifert (NZ) vs South Africa, Kolkata, 2026 SF
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111 – Craig Kieswetter & Kevin Pietersen (ENG) vs West Indies, Bridgetown, 2010 Final
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105 – Babar Azam & Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) vs New Zealand, Sydney, 2022 SF
Meanwhile, fans flooded social media, hailing New Zealand for their outstanding all-around performance in the semi-final clash against South Africa.
Check out the best reactions:
Aiden Markram On South Africa’s Exit
Aiden Markram looked understandably disappointed as he spoke to the TV cameras after South Africa were stunned by Finn Allen and New Zealand. He started by sharing his thoughts on the match.
On what South Africa could have done differently, he said: “We will reflect as a group, we expected the wicket to play really well, so potentially we could have adapted a bit quicker with the bat.”
When asked what he will say to his players tonight, he added: We will let the emotion settle first, and once that happens, we will have a discussion as a group and break down the game and try and find the areas we could have been better.”
’33 balls for a hundred is not bad’ – Mitchell Santner On Finn Allen
Winning skipper Mitchell Santner shared his thoughts on New Zealand’s stunning win over South Africa.
“It was nice. We knew how good South Africa are so to put in a performance like that is pretty pleasing.”
When asked what changed from their last meeting with South Africa, he said: “Today, it was about trying to keep them under pressure for a long time and throwing in a little more spin from the start. If you can take wickets throughout its a challenge for them to keep going with the bat.”
On New Zealand’s opening partnership, Santner added: “It was nice to watch! We were very happy with the 170, but you never know. They went out there and played their game and took it on, which was cool to see … 33 balls for a hundred is not bad!
Looking ahead to Sunday’s final, he said: “It is a different ground, we have been there before, and there are a lot of factors that go into it all. We will be pretty happy tonight, and then we have a couple of days to think about what happens next.”
Finn Allen Named Player of the Match For His Historic Knock
Finn Allen was named player of the match, and it’s easy to see why after his incredible innings.
“I just wanted to get in good positions and put in a good performance for the team.
“We wanted to start well and put them on the back foot early. It is easy for me when Tim [Seifert] is going like that. The way he batted got us off to an absolute flyer.”
On staying motivated in big matches, he said: “It is easy in semifinals to stay up for the fight and with Tim [Seifert] we keep each other in it, and we enjoy it out there together.”
About adjusting to different venues: “You adapt to the wickets; training is really important to get a feel of what the wicket might look like.”
Looking ahead to the final, Allen added: “You take the positives from this game, celebrate little moments of success, then we have a final to play on Sunday and we look forward to that.”
ALSO READ: NZ vs SA T20 World Cup 2026 Final: “Real Chokers Of Cricket” — Fans React After South Africa’s Batting Falls Apart, Marco Jansen Leads Rescue Act
