Kolkata, March 5 The key to stopping the South African juggernaut was simple – win the toss and "take control from the start," said explosive New Zealand opener Finn Allen after powering the Kiwis into the T20 World Cup final with the fastest ever hundred of the tournament.
South Africa had entered the semi-final as the form side of the tournament, having been the only unbeaten team with seven successive wins. The Proteas had even defeated New Zealand in the group stage and also ousted tournament hosts and favourites India in the Super Eights.
However, New Zealand were at their ruthless best as they eliminated the runners-up from the previous edition in the semi-final with a 9-wicket win that came with 43 balls to spare at Eden Gardens here on Wednesday.
"We just hoped (skipper Mitchell) Santner would win the toss to start, and he did, so that was the first part done. From then on, it was just about taking control and not shying away from any challenge," Allen said in the post-match media interaction, after hitting an unbeaten 100 off 33 balls.
Put in to bat, South Africa failed to get going in the powerplay, with off-spin all-rounder Cole McConchie taking the wickets of Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton in successive deliveries in the second over.
Thereafter, it was the turn of Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry to tighten the noose and restrict South Africa to an under-par total at a venue where India had chased down West Indies' 196 the previous day.
"The bowlers…set the tone for us, and taking early wickets on what we thought would be a really good batting wicket was extremely important.
"They (South Africa) have an incredibly powerful batting line-up, and I give them credit. They set the stage for us with their bowling, and as I said, we didn't really have a plan...," Allen said.
The Kiwis also analysed their group stage defeat to the Proteas in Ahmedabad and built on the positives.
"We looked closely at that first game against them," he said.
"They've been outstanding all tournament, backing up their performances. But playing them earlier gave us some insight into their plans, and we tried to use that to our advantage."
Allen said that while the Eden Gardens had a largely neutral crowd, his parents were likely among the few watching live back home in New Zealand, where the semi-final was being played in the early hours.
New Zealand is seven and a half hours ahead of IST.
"I'm sure my parents were up watching the whole game. Hopefully, they're proud," Allen said.
The win will be a big morale booster for the Kiwis ahead of the final on Sunday, said Allen. The Black Caps will play the winner of the India-England clash in Mumbai.
"It's a new opposition, different conditions, and all that, so for us, we just want to take the positives out of this game and get a flight to Ahmedabad tomorrow (Thursday) and start again," he said.
"We've got a lot of momentum going into the weekend. I think if we play our best cricket, we can beat anybody, so we'll be watching tomorrow night. Either way, hopefully, we can win on Sunday. It will be a spectacle."
"Obviously, it's a difficult time for people to watch back home, but I'm sure you know people were keeping tabs on the game, and hopefully, they can get up early and have a day off at work to watch the final."
The 34-year-old all-rounder McConchie, who was not part of their original squad, has been a revelation after he was drafted in as a travelling reserve following an injury to Michael Bracewell.
McConchie got his chance when captain Santner fell ill ahead of their Canada game, playing his first match for New Zealand since April 2024.
The all-rounder seized his chance against Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 31, lifting New Zealand to a competitive 168 for seven.
"It's been great for him this World Cup, and Cole's been really good with the new ball too. So for him to get two wickets... To come in halfway through the tournament and have a big impact on the team is fantastic momentum for him to take into Sunday," Allen was all praise for McConchie.
