Allen shifts focus to T20 WC final after record-breaking semi-final blitz

Centurion Finn Allen wasted little time shifting his focus to Sunday’s final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after powering New Zealand to a commanding semi-final victory over South Africa with a record-breaking knock.

Allen was in sensational touch, smashing the fastest century in the history of the T20 World Cup. The right-hander reached his hundred in just 33 balls, eclipsing the previous record of 47 deliveries set by Chris Gayle of the West Indies.

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The emphatic win propelled New Zealand into their first T20 World Cup final since 2021 and has left them well placed to challenge for a maiden title, according to Allen.

“To get one over them (South Africa) is a huge confidence booster for us going into Sunday,” Allen said after the nine-wicket triumph.

“They’ve been the in-form team the whole tournament. So I think as a group, to take that win going into Sunday is huge for us, but you got to start again on Sunday. It’s a new opposition, different conditions, and all that.

“For us, we just look to take the positives out of this game and get a flight to Ahmedabad tomorrow and start again,” he added.

While Allen and Tim Seifert will draw much of the attention for their explosive opening stand, New Zealand’s bowlers also played a decisive role. Matt Henry, Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie claimed two wickets apiece to ensure South Africa’s highly rated batting line-up never found sustained momentum.

Allen credited the bowlers for setting up the victory, noting that their early breakthroughs made the chase far more manageable. “Well, we just hoped (Mitch) Santner would win a toss to start and he did that. So that was the first part done. And then from then onwards it was just, take the bull by the horns. Take the game on, not shy away from any challenge,” Allen continued.

“Like I said earlier, the bowlers certainly did that to start off with. They set the tone for us, and taking early wickets on what we thought was going to be a really good batting wicket was extremely important.

“They’ve got an incredibly powerful batting line-up and yeah, look, hats off to the boys. They set it up for us with the bat and yeah, as I said, we didn’t really have a plan, me, and Timmy, just try and be positive and hope for the best,” the explosive opener added.

New Zealand will take on the winner of the second semi-final between defending champions India and England in Mumbai in Sunday’s final. Allen was asked whether he would prefer facing the hosts or England in the title clash.

England had beaten New Zealand by four wickets during the Super Eights stage of the tournament, while the Black Caps are yet to meet India in the competition. “I think we’re happy with anyone I think – as a team I back us,” Allen noted.

“We’ve got a lot of momentum going into the weekend. I think if we play our best cricket, we can beat anybody. I think either way, I think hopefully we get up for Sunday, as it will be a spectacle,” he added.