Kolkata, March 4 A dominant New Zealand, led by a record-breaking 33-ball century from 'local talent' Finn Allen, defeated South Africa by nine wickets and advanced to the T20 World Cup final here on Wednesday.
Allen, who will be joining the Kolkata Knight Riders in another three weeks, smashed 10 fours and 8 sixes to complete an incredible chase of 170 in just 12.5 overs, leaving the entire South African team stunned.
The century, the fastest ever in all editions of the T20 World Cup, was a display of brute power that Eden Gardens had never seen before.
Hitting with power, Allen practiced range-hitting like professional golfers, with the balls soaring into the air and disappearing.
From 76 to 100, Allen took five balls from Marco Jansen (0/53 in 2.5 overs), whose seemingly perfect day turned into a nightmare.
The team led by Mitchell Santner never looked like losing, having first restricted the Proteas to a modest 169 for 8, thanks to the fine spin bowling of left-arm spinner Cole McConchie (2/9) and Rachin Ravindra (2/29).
KKR recruits shine at home ground
=========================
While South Africa saw some silver lining in Jansen's 30-ball-54, the two newly-recruited KKR openers, Tim Seifert (58 off 33 balls) and Allen, smashed a brilliant 117-run stand in just 9 overs.
This is the Black Caps' second T20 World Cup final appearance after 2021 (in the UAE).
If India beats England in Mumbai on Thursday, it will be a repeat of last year's Champions Trophy final.
Between Allen and Seifert, the duo hit 13 boundaries and six sixes. The match was essentially over after the powerplay, when 84 runs were scored – 22 of them coming in the sixth over bowled by Corbin Bosch.
Allen completed his half-century off 19 balls. He reached his second fifty in just 14 balls, even taking a break for medical attention.
KKR coach Abhishek Nayar was delighted on Wednesday night after witnessing such intent and performance.
With the dew setting in during the latter part of the South African innings, Allen and Seifert found the Eden track to be perfect for hitting through the line.
Allen simply hit the ball through the line, with the ball coming nicely onto the bat. He picked the length and powerfully hit it all over the ground.
New Zealand spinners lay the foundation
=========================
Earlier, the spinners put up a strong performance before Jansen's aggressive rearguard action took South Africa to a decent 169 for 8.
On a track where scoring runs was proving difficult, off-spinner McConchie and Ravindra performed a 'choke-slam' on the star-studded Proteas top-order, which ultimately paid for their collective indiscretion.
Ultimately, it was left to Jansen (54 not out, 30 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (29 off 24 balls) to salvage the situation and give the bowling unit a chance to fight in the second half of the match.
The duo added 73 runs for the sixth wicket after the Proteas had been reduced to 77 for 5 at the halfway mark.
As the innings progressed, the dew factor came into play, and suddenly the pitch, where the ball had been gripping, started to skid, making stroke-play easier.
Jansen, who is proving to be one of the best all-rounders playing the game currently, smashed as many as five sixes, with most of them landing at least 10-15 rows into the gallery, in what seemed like a perfect combination of power and timing.
The two sixes off Lockie Ferguson in the penultimate over would certainly boost the confidence of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.
However, by the time the match ended, Jansen's poor bowling and Allen's audacious hitting had left him disappointed.
