New Zealand opener Finn Allen made history in Kolkata by smashing the fastest century ever in a T20 World Cup on Wednesday, propelling New Zealand into the final with a crushing nine-wicket win over South Africa.Chasing 170 in the first semi-final, Allen went on a rampage, scoring an unbeaten hundred off just 33 balls.
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His knock broke the previous World Cup record of 47 balls set by Chris Gayle. New Zealand chased down the target in just 12.5 overs, finishing the match in 7.1 overs.After the game, Allen said: “Yes, I would say he’s there. I wanted to get into good positions and hit the ball. I wanted to put them on the defensive early.”
The way he hit Seifert and got us on the plane helped me too. We wanted to hit the ball straight and enjoyed it together. “You adapt to the wicket, and training is important. The boys played a lot on black pitches against India before the World Cup, so that was good information. We’re looking forward to the final on Sunday.”Allen’s 33-ball hundred is now the fastest in a T20 World Cup, the fastest against a full-member team in T20 Internationals, and the third-fastest in all T20Is.
Earlier, South Africa scored 169/8 in their 20 overs, with Marko Janssen top-scoring with 55. But their total was nowhere near enough. Tim Seifert gave New Zealand a brilliant start with 58 off 33 balls, paving the way for Allen’s record-breaking attack.With this dominant performance, New Zealand reached the final in style.