New Zealand crushed South Africa by nine wickets in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Eden Park, driven by Finn Allen's unbeaten 100 off 33 balls—the fastest century in tournament history. Building on their bowling effort that restricted the Proteas to 169/8 (covered in our first-innings report), the Black Caps chased 170 with 43 balls to spare, advancing to face India or England.
In part 2 of our coverage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 first semi-final on March 4 at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, New Zealand completed a comprehensive victory after their strong bowling display limited South Africa to 169/8 (detailed here: [link to existing article]). Key contributions came from Cole McConchie (2 wickets in his only over), Rachin Ravindra (2), Jimmy Neesham, and Matt Henry (2/34), with Marco Jansen's unbeaten 55 off 30 the standout for South Africa.
Chasing 170, openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen attacked from the outset, racing to 84 without loss in the powerplay. Seifert made 58 off 33 before falling to Kagiso Rabada, but Allen unleashed carnage, smashing a 24-run over off Marco Jansen en route to his historic ton in just 33 balls. He finished unbeaten, steering New Zealand to 173/1 in 12.5 overs.
Allen, Player of the Match, said: "That is up there with the best. I wanted to put a good performance in for the team." Captain Mitchell Santner lauded the openers: "It was nice to watch... 33 balls for a 100 is not bad." South Africa's Aiden Markram admitted: "A bad night for us tonight... it feels like a slap in the face." Coach Shukri Conrad called it "not a choke, a bloody walloping."
New Zealand's unbeaten run through South Africa in the group stage is avenged, setting up a final showdown in Ahmedabad on Sunday against the India-England semi-final winner.
