Record! Finn Allen scripts history, becomes first-ever in T20 World Cup to smash 33-ball century

Kolkata, 26 June — New Zealand opener Finn Allen rewrote the T20 World Cup record books in spectacular fashion, blasting the tournament’s fastest century off just 33 deliveries to propel his side into Sunday’s final with a nine-wicket demolition of South Africa at Eden Gardens.

Chasing 169 for victory in the first semi-final, Allen arrived at the crease after Tim Seifert’s early pyrotechnics and promptly took the game away from the Proteas. His unbeaten 100 featured clean hitting that reduced the asking rate to a formality, sealing the win with 7.1 overs to spare and eclipsing Chris Gayle’s previous World Cup mark of a 47-ball ton.

Seifert set the tone with 58 off 33 balls, but it was Allen’s assault that turned the chase into a procession. The 24-year-old’s innings is now the quickest in T20 World Cup history, the fastest against a full-member nation in T20Is, and the joint third-fastest in the format’s global records.

“You adapt to the wicket, training is important,” Allen said after the match. “The boys played a lot on the black-soil pitches against India before the World Cup, so that was good intel. We look forward to the final on Sunday.”

South Africa, inserted to bat first, mustered 169 for 8 in their 20 overs, Marco Jansen top-scoring with 55. Yet their total was rendered inadequate as New Zealand raced to 170 for 1 in 12.5 overs, stamping their authority on the competition and booking a place in the title clash in emphatic style.