Eden Gardens in Kolkata witnessed one of the greatest knocks in T20 history as New Zealand opener Finn Allen produced a breathtaking display against South Africa. Chasing 170 runs, Allen hammered the fastest century in T20 World Cup history, reaching his ton in just 33 balls. He toyed with the Proteas bowlers, striking boundaries all around the ground as they struggled for answers. His explosive innings powered New Zealand to the target in only 12.5 overs, sealing a dominant win and booking their place in the T20 World Cup 2026 final.
Allenโs opening partner Tim Seifert supported him perfectly, as the duo stitched a stand of 117 runs for the first wicket, which eventually sealed New Zealandโs fate. They went berserk in the middle but were also fortunate in the first couple of overs as several of their edges didnโt land in South Africaโs hands. The duo took advantage of that and set the tone to get the job done in a convincing manner.
โWe wanted to start looking straight and obviously try and put them on the back foot early. I think itโs easy for me when Timmyโs (Seifert) going like that, I can kind of just watch and then hit it when itโs in my area and just try and give him the strike. So I think the way that he batted got us off to an absolute flyer. And yeah, I think like I said, we wanted to get strong positions, look straight and work the ball square off the length,โ Allen said after being adjudged the Player of the Match.
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