‘I wanted to keep my intent’: Finn Allen reveals mindset behind maiden IPL century
Finn Allen smashed his maiden IPL century as Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Delhi Capitals by eight wickets.
South Africa’s dream run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup came to a crashing halt after a crushing nine-wicket defeat to New Zealand in Wednesday’s semi-final, a result head coach Shukri Conrad bluntly described as “not a choke but a walloping”.
Chasing 170, New Zealand raced to the target in just 12.5 overs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, thanks to a breathtaking opening partnership. Finn Allen smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 33 balls, the fastest century in the tournament’s history, while Tim Seifert hammered 58 off 33 deliveries to seal a dominant victory.
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The loss added another painful chapter to South Africa’s history of heartbreaks in ICC tournaments. The 2024 runners-up had entered the semi-final as the only unbeaten team in the competition, having won seven matches in a row, including victories over New Zealand in the group stage and hosts India in the Super Eights.
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Reflecting on the defeat, Conrad rejected the familiar narrative around South Africa faltering under pressure. “I don’t know if tonight was a choke. I thought it was a bloody walloping,” Conrad said bluntly when the ‘C’ word was brought up given South Africa’s past record of imploding in high-pressure games.
“In order for you to choke, you must have had a sniff in the game. We didn’t have a sniff. In South Africa, we’d say we ‘got moered (violent assault)’,” he added in his inimitable style.
He then used his native Afrikaans to best sum up the defeat.
“Tonight, we got a proper ‘snotklap’ — that’s an Afrikaans word for a real hiding, a smack you don’t see coming. That’s what it felt like,” said Conrad, who had courted controversy during last year’s Test series in India with fiery comments about wanting the Indian team to “grovel”.
The literal meaning of the Afrikaans term ‘snotklap’ is “snot smack”, referring to a blow to the face or nose so severe that it knocks the ‘snot out of the nose’.
Earlier in the evening, New Zealand’s bowlers had set the tone by striking early. Cole McConchie removed Quinton de Kock (10) and Ryan Rickelton (0) in consecutive deliveries in the second over after the Black Caps won the toss.
South Africa struggled to gain momentum thereafter as Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry tightened the screws during the middle overs. Key batters including Aiden Markram (18 off 20), David Miller (6) and Dewald Brevis (34) failed to make a significant impact.
It was only in the closing stages that Marco Jansen (55 not out off 30 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (29) helped the Proteas post a competitive total.
“We recovered nicely with Stabo and Marco but I thought New Zealand were excellent. They exploited conditions really well with their spinners up front and we just never got out the block. So, yeah, full marks to them,” Conrad conceded.
“They were a hell of a lot better than us tonight. We just spoke about it, that it seemed like everything went right.”
With South Africa’s dream run ending in the semi-final, Conrad admitted that his side simply chose the worst possible moment for an off night. “We chose a really crappy time to have a bad night.”
He also dismissed suggestions that playing most of their earlier matches in Ahmedabad had left them under-prepared for different conditions.
“There’s obviously a lot to be said about playing all our games at Ahmedabad and then not having played anything in some of the other states. But again, that’s no excuse,” he said.
“They strangled us up front, lost wickets, didn’t get any sort of momentum going. And yeah, a hell of a lot didn’t go right tonight. But that was probably enforced because they were so good and they never gave us a sniff.”
Asked how the team would move on from such a heavy defeat after a strong campaign, Conrad responded with typical dry humour.
“Hopefully we’ve got a carrier to pick us up to take us home. Look, I mean, the guys will be hurting and they obviously are, but it’s not a hell of a lot. You get judged on World Cups and winning it.”
Despite the disappointment, the South African coach expressed pride in his side’s performance throughout the tournament. “I thought we did some exceptional stuff throughout the tournament. Played some really good cricket. I am incredibly proud of these guys,” he said.
“Not many people gave us a chance of making the semifinals when we left home, given our form before the World Cup. But that’s no consolation right now,” he signed off.
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