Nobody saw this coming. Finn Allen walked out to bat needing 170 runs to win a T20 World Cup semi-final. He was done in 33 balls — and so was South Africa.
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March 4, 2026. Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Semi-Final 1. ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
New Zealand beat South Africa by 9 wickets with 43 balls to spare — ending the Proteas' unbeaten run of seven consecutive matches, smashing records that had stood for a decade, and booking their place in the T20 World Cup 2026 Final in Ahmedabad.
Finn Allen scored 100 not out off just 33 balls — the fastest century in the history of Men's T20 World Cup cricket, obliterating Chris Gayle's 47-ball record from 2016. Tim Seifert contributed 58 off 33 balls at the other end. Their opening stand of 117 was built at a rate that made chasing 170 feel like a training session.
South Africa — the tournament's dominant force, unbeaten in seven matches, odds-on favourites — were blown away in 12.5 overs. It was stunning. It was historic. And it was utterly, completely one-sided.
Match Snapshot
South Africa: 169/8 (20 overs)
New Zealand: 173/1 (12.5 overs)
Result: New Zealand won by 9 wickets (43 balls remaining)
Player of the Match: Finn Allen — 100* (33 balls, 10 fours, 8 sixes)
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Date: March 4, 2026
South Africa Innings — Collapse and Rescue
New Zealand won the toss and chose to field — and their bowlers made an immediate, devastating impact.
Cole McConchie, the part-time off-spinner, struck in the second over — dismissing Quinton de Kock for 10 and then removing Ryan Rickelton next ball with the score at 14 for 2. South Africa were on the brink of a hat-trick. Dewald Brevis survived it — but the damage had been done. South Africa's prized top order had collapsed before they had even begun.
Aiden Markram — South Africa's captain and the tournament's best batter — was dropped on three by Rachin Ravindra at mid-wicket, but could not capitalise. Ravindra came back to have him caught at long-on by Daryl Mitchell for 18. David Miller was also dropped early before falling for just 6, again to Ravindra. At 77 for 5 inside 11 overs, South Africa's World Cup campaign was staring at a humiliating end.
Marco Jansen refused to let it end quietly.
The tall left-armer launched a fearless counter-attack — smashing Lockie Ferguson for consecutive sixes, reaching his half-century in just 27 balls, and finishing unbeaten on 55 off 30 balls (2 fours, 5 sixes). A sixth-wicket stand of 73 with Tristan Stubbs — a South Africa T20I record for that wicket — dragged the total to 169 for 8. It was a brave effort from Jansen. In the end, it was nowhere near enough.
New Zealand Bowling: Cole McConchie 2/9 | Rachin Ravindra 2/29 | Matt Henry 2/34 | Lockie Ferguson 1/29
New Zealand Chase — History in 12.5 Overs
What followed was one of the most extraordinary passages of batting in T20 World Cup history.
Tim Seifert attacked from ball one — reaching his half-century in 28 balls, combining with Allen to score 37 runs in the first three overs alone. The powerplay ended at 84 for 0 — the highest powerplay score in any T20 World Cup knockout match in history, surpassing England's 67 for 0 from 2016.
And then there was Allen.
South Africa threw everything at him — Rabada with his legcutter, Ngidi with his slower ball, Jansen banging it hard into the pitch, Bosch offering pace variations. Nothing worked. Allen hit five boundaries in a row off Bosch in the sixth over. He hit five more in a row off Jansen in the 13th — the last of those being the boundary that brought up his hundred.
33 balls. 10 fours. 8 sixes. 100 not out. Strike rate: 303. The fastest century in the history of the Men's T20 World Cup — and the joint-fastest T20I century ever scored by a player from a full ICC member nation, tied with Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza.
Seifert fell for 58 to Kagiso Rabada — bowled with a jagging delivery — but by then New Zealand were 117 for 1 after 9 overs, needing just 53 more runs with 10 wickets in hand. Rachin Ravindra came in and played a supporting role as Allen finished the job. New Zealand reached 173 for 1 in 12.5 overs. Nine wickets. 43 balls remaining.
South Africa Bowling: Kagiso Rabada 1/28
Finn Allen — A Performance for the Ages
Chris Gayle scored 100 off 47 balls against England in 2016. That record had stood for a decade. Allen demolished it in the most emphatic fashion imaginable — finishing ten balls faster, on the biggest stage in T20 cricket, in a World Cup semi-final.
He was not lucky. He was not reckless. He was ruthlessly calculated — picking the right ball to hit, finding the right areas, and accelerating precisely when South Africa needed wickets most. Every bowler was attacked. No delivery was safe. And when the hundred came — off that Marco Jansen delivery over the boundary — Eden Gardens, even without India in the match, erupted.
Finn Allen will remember this night for the rest of his life. Cricket will remember it for much longer.
What Went Wrong for South Africa?
South Africa — who had been so dominant throughout this tournament, who had beaten India on their own soil, who had crushed West Indies by 9 wickets — were undone by a combination of poor top-order batting, a slower-than-usual Eden Gardens pitch that did not suit their aggressive style, and the sheer unstoppable force of Allen and Seifert.
The early collapse to 77 for 5 was damaging enough. But conceding 84 runs in the powerplay of the chase — more than half the target in just six overs — was simply unrecoverable. As we had noted in our full semi-final preview, Santner's poor record against South Africa was flagged as a concern — but in the end, it was McConchie and Ravindra who did the bowling damage, and Allen who made every bowling plan irrelevant.
South Africa's wait for a first World Cup title in any format continues. For a team of their talent and consistency, it remains cricket's most painful ongoing story.
New Zealand Into the Final
New Zealand will play in their second T20 World Cup Final — their first since 2021, when they lost to Australia in Dubai. They face either India or England in Ahmedabad on March 8.
For Mitchell Santner's side, this win is the culmination of a tournament where they never quite looked like favourites — qualifying on net run rate, losing to England in the Super Eights — yet found a way to deliver when it mattered most. That is the New Zealand way. That is their ICC knockout DNA.
As we covered in our semi-finals preview, New Zealand have now beaten South Africa in four consecutive ICC knockout matches — the 2011 ODI World Cup quarter-final, the 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final, the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final, and now this. The Black Caps simply know how to beat South Africa when it matters.
On March 8 in Ahmedabad, they will get one more chance to win the one trophy that has eluded them. The whole cricketing world will be watching.
What's Next — Semi-Final 2: India vs England
The second semi-final takes place today — March 5 — at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India, who booked their semi-final spot with Sanju Samson's historic 97 not out against West Indies, face England — the side who beat New Zealand in Colombo with a stunning last-over partnership.
The winner faces New Zealand in the final on March 8 in Ahmedabad. After tonight's extraordinary match, one thing is certain — the T20 World Cup 2026 Final will need to be something very special to match what Finn Allen produced at Eden Gardens.
Were you watching tonight? What did you make of Finn Allen's historic hundred? Drop your thoughts in the comments! 🏏🔥
Follow The Yorker Crew for India vs England semi-final preview, live updates, and full T20 World Cup 2026 Final coverage — coming very soon!
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