Finn Allen smashed the fastest century in T20 World Cup history, off just 33 balls, to help New Zealand chase down the target of 170 in just 12.5 overs against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday (March 4).

During his whirlwind display, Allen completed the joint-fastest fifty of the ongoing tournament off just 19 balls as the Kiwis racked up 84/0 in the first six overs, making it the highest powerplay score in T20 World Cup history.

Tim Seifert slammed a 28-ball fifty, stitching a 117-run opening stand with Allen to propel the Black Caps to the final, to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8.

Reflecting on the nine-wicket win, New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner described it as a ‘pretty pleasing' performance in a high-pressure contest.

"It was nice. I think we knew obviously how good South Africa are, and they've shown that throughout the tournament. So, to put on a performance like that in a crunch game is obviously pretty pleasing. I guess every time, you get shown up or you lose a game, you're learning from it. I guess you learn when you win as well.

“So, we knew we weren't, on or as good as we could have been during that game (in the league stage in Ahmedabad), and they played unbelievably well, especially on a wicket like that. I guess today it (the lesson) was trying to keep them under pressure for a long time.

“We obviously threw a little bit more spin at the start, which we didn't do at Ahmedabad. But I think, if you can take wickets throughout, it's obviously a challenge to keep going with the bat,” said Santner in the post-match presentation ceremony.

New Zealand bowlers set up the win with Cole McConchie dismissing Quinton de Kock (10) and Ryan Rickelton (0) in consecutive deliveries in the second over after they won a good toss.

Later, Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry tightened the screws in the middle overs as none of their premier batters -- Aiden Markram (18), David Miller (6), Dewald Brevis (34) -- could swing their bats.

It was the 73-run partnership between Marco Jansen (55*) and Tristan Stubbs (29) that lifted South Africa to a fighting total in the end.

“There was always a plan for the first two overs and then it's kind of free fall after that. I think with obviously the right-handers coming out briefly, obviously, there's a lot of spin. We thought maybe if the ball was spinning away a bit more, it might be a bit more of a challenge, but I think even when it's up in the slot, kind of hits it and it stays hit.

“So, it was trying to, I guess, chop and change because the wicket was pretty good. Obviously a small ground, fast outfield. So we were able to keep chipping wickets away through the middle and then Stubbsy (Stubbs) and Jansen obviously played a great, great knock to get them into 170,” Santner remarked.

Commenting on their rapid chase, New Zealand captain cheekily said that Finn Allen’s effort wasn’t bad.

“It was nice to watch (the chase). I'm not gonna lie. I guess we were very happy with the 170, but you never know, I think, like wickets in the power play, there's always a challenge, and they (the openers) kind of just went out there and played their game and took it on, which was cool to see.

“That opening partnership you get through a powerplay, no doubt, it puts you in a pretty good position. Then obviously, Finny (Allen) just carried on and, I mean, 33 balls for 100, it's not bad at all. It'd be nice if we could (repeat this in the final). But again, it's a different ground. We've been there before, obviously. I think depending on where you are, it's red soil, black soil - there's a lot of different factors that go in, different sized grounds.

“So I think we'll obviously be pretty happy tonight with the win. Then we've got a couple more days to really think about what happens next. But it was a pretty good performance. I said before, we haven't really played the perfect game. I know that's always a hard or cliche thing, but we've been good in periods and then today I think we were pretty good all the way through," Santner concluded.

(With IANS Inputs)