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Finn Allen's 33-Ball Century Powers NZ to T20 World Cup Final

New Zealand delivered a commanding performance to thrash South Africa by nine wickets in the T20 World Cup semifinal. Finn Allen's blistering, unbeaten century off just 33 balls was the centerpiece of a dominant chase. Skipper Mitchell Santner expressed immense pleasure at his team's all-round display against the previously unbeaten Proteas. The victory books New Zealand's place in the final, where they will await the winner of the India vs. England semifinal.

Key Points: NZ Crush SA in T20WC Semifinal, Santner Hails Team Performance

  • Finn Allen's historic 33-ball century
  • Nine-wicket win over unbeaten South Africa
  • 117-run opening stand with Tim Seifert
  • New Zealand reaches second T20WC final
  • To face India or England in Ahmedabad
3 min read

"Today, we were good all the way through": Santner hails NZ's win over SA in T20WC semifinal

Mitchell Santner praises New Zealand's dominant nine-wicket win over South Africa, fueled by Finn Allen's historic 33-ball century, securing a spot in the T20 World Cup final.

"Today we were good all the way through. - Mitchell Santner"

Kolkata, March 5

Following New Zealand's thumping nine-wicket win over South Africa in the semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup, skipper Mitchell Santner said that putting such a brilliant performance in the crunch game against an unbeaten Proteas side was "pretty pleasing."

Finn Allen's historic 33-ball century and fine bowling from New Zealand helped them seal their spot in the T20 World Cup final, scheduled to take place at Ahmedabad on Sunday. Their opponents, India or England, will be decided at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. This marks their second T20 World Cup final after the 2021 edition, where they lost to Australia.

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Santner said, "When you see how good South Africa are, to put on a performance like that in a crunch game is pretty pleasing. [On their planning and coming back from the previous defeat to SA in the group stage] I guess every time you show up and lose a game, you are learning from it. I guess today was just about trying to keep pressure on throughout, and when you take wickets consistently, it is a challenge to keep going with the bat. [On using Cole McConchie in the powerplay] There was a plan for the first two overs and then a free-for-all. Then, with (Dewald) Brevis coming in, we knew he liked spin, but we thought it would be better spinning it away from him."

Santner hailed Tim Seifert's (58 in 33 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Allen's (100* in 33 balls, with 10 fours and eight sixes) partnership as "special".

"We were very happy with 170 going into the break, but in T20, you never know. Wickets on the powerplay would have made it a challenge. But they took it on. And Finny just carried on. And a 33-ball 100 is not bad. It would be nice if we could (repeat it in final at Ahmedabad). Of course, it is a different ground and red soil, black soil, lot of variables. Pretty good performance. I do not know if it was a perfect game, but earlier we have been good in periods, today we were good all the way through."

Coming to the Wednesday match, NZ won the toss and opted to bowl first, reducing SA to 77/5. From there, a partnership of 73 runs between Tristan Stubbs (29 in 24 balls, with two fours and a six) and Marco Jansen (55* in 30 balls, with two fours and five sixes) took SA to 169/8 in 20 overs.

Rachin Ravindra (2/29), Matt Henry (2/34) and Cole McConchie (1/9) were among the top bowlers for NZ.

In the run-chase, Seifert (58 in 33 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Allen (100* in 33 balls, with 10 fours and eight sixes) put on a 117-run stand for the opening wicket, and Allen along with Rachin Ravindra (13*), took NZ to a win in 12.5 overs.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Santner's captaincy was spot on. Using McConchie in the powerplay was a masterstroke. Shows you need clever plans in T20, not just raw pace. Excited for the final, but first, let's get past England tomorrow at Wankhede! 🇮🇳
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Rohit P
South Africa's knockout curse continues, yaar. 169 is not a bad total, but Allen made it look like a school game. NZ are such a dangerous, well-rounded side. They don't have superstars like Kohli or Bumrah, but they play as a perfect team.
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Sarah B
As a neutral fan living in Mumbai, that was incredible to watch. The hitting was clean and the chase was clinical. A respectful note though - the article mentions the 2021 final loss but doesn't talk much about SA's collapse from 77/5. That was the real turning point.
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Vikram M
Allen's innings is the kind of knock that can win you a World Cup. Bas ab final mein aisa khelna hai! Hoping for a India-NZ final in Ahmedabad. The pitch there might be different, as Santner said. Our spinners could be key.
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Michael C
Fantastic all-round performance. The partnership between Seifert and Allen set the platform perfectly. New Zealand always peaks at the right time in ICC events. Whoever faces them in the final will need to be at their absolute best.

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