Finn Allen dazzled under the Kolkata lights as his century off 33 balls helped New Zealand thrash South Africa by 9 wickets. Finn Allen was unstoppable tonight in the chase of 170 and Tim Seifert supported him well. But before that, it was the bowlers who set it up for New Zealand with the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Cole McConchie, and Matt Henry picking up 2 wickets each as Marco Jansen’s amazing half-century powered South Africa to a competitive 169/8 in 20 overs.
In reply, it was the Finn Allen-Tim Seifert show as they blazed away in the powerplay and beyond as well. The duo posted 84 runs in powerplay and then put on 117 for the first wicket in 9 overs. Seifert fell but Allen was in a hurry and completed his hundred in 33 balls as the Kiwis got to the target in 12.5 overs winning by 9 wickets and qualifying for the finals. The Proteas are knocked out now.
Marco Jansen’s blazing half-century takes South Africa to a fighting 169/8 in 20 overs.Â
Put into bat first, captain Aiden Markram and keeper batter Quinton de Kock came out to bat for South Africa while Matt Henry came onto bowl for New Zealand. Quinton showed his urgency with a boundary and then in the next over hit a maximum off Cole McConchie. But Cole had the last laugh in the end. The opening partnership put on 12 for the first wicket before de Kock fell for 10 off 8 balls with one four and one six to his name to McConchie. Cole had two in two balls as Rickelton fell first ball for a golden duck as the bowler had two wickets in two balls.
Dewald Brevis survived the hat-trick ball as the ball went away to the fence. Aiden Markram was batting on 3 when he was dropped by Ravindra off Ferguson at short midwicket. Markram was less fluent today and Brevis also took his time and played his shots as after powerplay, they were 48/2 in 6 overs. The duo forged some sort of a stand and added 43 runs for the third wicket before Markram was holed out in the deep for 18 off 20 balls with one four and one six to his name to Ravindra as Mitchell took the catch inches from the ground. David Miller came out to bat next.
Brevis scored a few runs while Miller got a lifeline with Glenn Phillips dropped the catch at deep midwicket with Miller on 3. But it did not prove costly. Brevis and Miller added 22 runs for the 4th wicket before Miller fell for 6 off 6 balls to Ravindra yet again. Tristan Stubbs came out to bat next. The score was exactly the same before Brevis fell to a soft dismissal for 34 off 27 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Jimmy Neesham. Marco Jansen came in with the score at 77/5 in the 11th over.
New Zealand tightened the screws after this but Jansen and Stubbs showed a lot of resistance out there. They tried to forge a partnership. The Proteas were 108/5 in 15 overs. But then Jansen put on a show that lifted the Proteas and Stubbs also chipped in as Neesham was hit for 22 in one single over. Henry too went for runs. The duo added 73 runs for the 6th wicket before Stubbs fell for 29 off 24 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name to Lockie Ferguson who cleaned him up.
Corbin Bosch got out to bat next. Jansen added quick runs as well. He completed his half-century as well. The duo added 16 runs for the 7th wicket before Bosch fell for 2 off 3 balls by getting bowled by Henry. Kagiso Rabada came out to bat next and was dismissed by Henry for a golden duck. Henry also had two in two balls. Keshav Maharaj came out to bat next and got a single while Jansen got a brace.
South Africa finished with 169/8 in 20 overs with Jansen unbeaten on 55 off 30 balls with 2 fours and 5 sixes to his name while Maharaj was unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 14 extras given by the fielding side.
New Zealand bowled well with ball in hand. Rachin Ravindra finished with 2/29 in 4 overs. Matt Henry finished with 2/34 in 4 overs. Cole McConchie finished with 2/9 in 1 over. Lockie Ferguson finished with 1/29 in 4 overs. Jimmy Neesham finished with 1/42 in 3 overs. Mitchell Santner finished with 0/25 in 4 overs. So, the target for New Zealand will be 170 runs in 20 overs.
Finn Allen’s breath-taking century off 33 balls powers New Zealand over the line by 9 wickets with 7.1 overs to spare.Â
Chasing 170 for the win, Tim Seifert the keeper batter and Finn Allen came out to bat for New Zealand while Marco Jansen had ball in hand for South Africa. In the initial overs, the openers were lucky and there was a dropped catch as well by keeper Quinton de Kock. But then it was just one way traffic as Allen and Seifert tore apart the Proteas bowling. There was no second fiddle but both were attacking. Seifert as it turned out was playing second fiddle as Allen was a beast to say the least.
The duo broke the back of the chase as they put on 84 runs for the first 6 overs of powerplay. They did not stop there and completed their half-centuries to add a century stand for the first wicket yet again and it seemed to be another 10-wicket loss was unloading. The duo added 117 runs in just 9 overs before Seifert was cleaned up for 58 off 33 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Rachin Ravindra came out to bat next and with Allen cramping up, he went into overdrive yet again.
Allen was just a rampaging river now and just was in a hurry. Ravindra did his bit played his shots, but it was the Allen show all the way. The duo added a quickfire 56 off 22 balls and took the game away and Allen perfectly timed it and scored a boundary over mid-off to end the contest in 12.5 overs. Allen completed his hundred off just 33 balls as he hit 10 fours and 8 sixes to his name while Ravindra was unbeaten on 13 off 11 balls with 2 fours to his name. 2 extras given by South Africa as New Zealand finished with 173/1 in 12.5 overs.
The Proteas bowlers had a day to forget. Kagiso Rabada picked up 1/28 in 3 overs. The others went for runs. Jansen finished with 0/53 in 2.5 overs. Lungi Ngidi finished with 0/22 in 2 overs. Corbin Bosch finished with 0/35 in 2 overs. Keshav Maharaj finished with 0/33 in 3 overs. So, New Zealand win by 9 wickets with 43 balls to spare and thrash South Africa. They are into the finals as the Proteas bow out. Finn Allen was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead.Â
So, New Zealand are through to the finals while South Africa bows out of the tournament. Who will they face? We will find out tomorrow as the second semi-final is on its way. It’s India vs England live from Mumbai tomorrow night. Winner goes to Ahmedabad, loser goes home. Let’s see who comes out on top at the end of the night in Mumbai.
Also Read: ICC T20 WC 2026: Marco Jansen’s Powerful Fifty Helps South Africa Post 169/8.