New Zealand annihilate South Africa to reach T20 World Cup final | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup News
New Zealand Advances to T20 World Cup Final with Dominant Victory Over South Africa
New Zealand secured a place in the Twenty20 World Cup final after defeating South Africa by nine wickets during the first semifinal at Eden Gardens.
Batting first, South Africa managed to recover from a shaky start at 77 for five, reaching a total of 169 for eight. Marco Jansen led the recovery efforts, scoring an impressive unbeaten 55 runs.
Finn Allen’s record-breaking performance marked the match; he scored 100 runs off just 33 balls while forging a 117-run partnership with Tim Seifert, who contributed 58 runs. New Zealand achieved their target in a mere 12.5 overs.
Allen’s century is now recognized as the fastest in T20 World Cup history. “We wanted to start well and put them on the back foot early,” Allen said. “It is easy for me when Tim [Seifert] is going like that. The way he batted got us off to an absolute flyer.”
Earlier, South Africa’s innings was revitalized by Jansen and Tristan Stubbs, who added 73 runs together. Stubbs scored 29 runs, but the South African batting line-up faltered early as the New Zealand spinners claimed crucial wickets, with Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie each taking two.
The defeat marks the end of South Africa’s unbeaten streak in the tournament, while New Zealand progressed into the final after narrowly qualifying in the semifinals on net run rate. Meanwhile, India successfully chased a target of 196 against the West Indies on the same ground just days prior.
New Zealand’s bowling attack performed strongly, particularly Matt Henry, who returned with figures of 2 for 34 after missing previous games for the birth of his child. South Africa’s bowlers struggled throughout the match.
“You take the positives from this game, celebrate little moments of success,” Allen added. “Then we have a final to play on Sunday, and we look forward to that.”
In the second semifinal, defending champions India are set to face two-time champions England in Mumbai on Thursday.
