Kolkata, March 4 – New Zealand, led by a record-breaking century from Finn Allen, defeated South Africa by nine wickets and qualified for the T20 World Cup final here on Wednesday.
Allen, who will be joining Kolkata Knight Riders in three weeks, smashed 10 fours and 8 sixes to complete an incredible chase of 170 in just 12.5 overs, leaving the South African team stunned.
Allen's century, the fastest ever in the T20 World Cup, was a display of power hitting that captivated the Eden Gardens crowd.
Allen consistently hit the ball cleanly, sending it soaring into the stands.
From 76 to 100, Allen faced five deliveries from Marco Jansen (0/53 in 2.5 overs), whose promising performance turned into a nightmare.
The team, led by Mitchell Santner, never looked like losing, having first restricted South Africa to 169 for 8, thanks to fine spin bowling from left-arm spinner Cole McConchie (2/9) and Rachin Ravindra (2/29).
South African coach Shukri Conrad said Wednesday's result was not a "choke," a term often associated with the Proteas.
"Today wasn't a choke. It was a complete defeat," Conrad said at the post-match press conference.
KKR players perform well at home
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While South Africa saw some positives in Jansen's 30-ball-54, the two new KKR openers, Tim Seifert (58 off 33 balls) and Allen, put on a blistering 117-run stand in just 9 overs.
This is New Zealand's second T20 World Cup summit clash 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 effectively decided during the powerplay when 84 runs were scored, with 22 coming in the sixth over bowled by Corbin Bosch.
Allen completed his half-century off 19 balls. He took only 14 deliveries for his second fifty despite taking a medical timeout.
KKR coach Abhishek Nayar was pleased with the intent and statement made by his players.
With dew setting in during the latter part of the South African innings, Allen and Seifert found the Eden track perfect for hitting through the line.
Allen simply hit the ball cleanly, selecting the length and smashing it to all parts of the ground.
New Zealand spinners lay the foundation
Earlier, the spinners put on an impressive show before Jansen's brutal rearguard assault took South Africa to a decent 169 for 8.
On a track where scoring runs was challenging initially, off-spinner McConchie and Ravindra executed a "chokeslam" 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 South Africa 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 deliveries seemed to have gripped 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 union 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 with a sour expression.
