Finn Allen's Record T20 Century
New Zealand reached the T20 World Cup final powered by Finn Allen's spectacular 33-ball century at Eden Gardens, breaking multiple T20 World Cup records including surpassing Rohit Sharma's previous fastest World Cup century. New Zealand chased down South Africa's 169-8 in just 16.2 overs, setting up their first World Cup final appearance since 2021.
Finn Allen's century was not only the fastest in T20 World Cup history but also the first ever scored in a knockout match of the tournament. His 33-ball effort shattered the previous record of 47 balls set by West Indies' Chris Gayle against England in 2016. The innings at Eden Gardens in Kolkata also set a new benchmark for the fastest T20 International century against a Full Member nation, surpassing the previous record of 35 balls. Allen's onslaught included 10 fours and 8 sixes, the most sixes hit by a New Zealander in a T20 World Cup innings. This victory marked New Zealand's second appearance in a men's T20 World Cup final. Their previous final was in 2021, where they finished as runners-up to Australia. The Black Caps have been semi-finalists on three other occasions: 2007, 2016, and 2022. For South Africa, the defeat continues a long and painful history of failing to win major ICC knockout matches. Despite being unbeaten in the tournament until the semi-final, they were unable to defend their total of 169. This was their third appearance in a T20 World Cup semi-final, having also reached this stage in 2009 and 2014 without progressing.
