Finn Allen made short work of South Africa and cemented New Zealand’s place in the final by hitting an amazing hundred – his fastest in T20 World Cup history.
South Africa struggled to match New Zealand’s aggressive game on an advantageous pitch for batters, as seen in the South Africa National Cricket Team Vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
| Date | Match | Venue | Scorecard | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Mar 2026 | SA vs NZ (T20 WC Semi-final) | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | SA: 169/8 (20) NZ: 173/1 (12.5) | New Zealand won by 9 wickets |
| 14 Feb 2026 | NZ vs SA (T20 WC Group Match) | Ahmedabad | NZ: 175/7 (20) SA: 178/3 (17.1) | South Africa won by 7 wickets |
| 25 Mar 2026 | SA vs NZ (5th T20I) | New Zealand | SA defended total | South Africa won by 33 runs |
| Mar 2026 | NZ vs SA (3rd T20I) | New Zealand | NZ chased target | New Zealand won by 8 wickets |
| Mar 2026 | NZ vs SA (2nd T20I) | New Zealand | NZ higher total | New Zealand won by 68 runs |
T20 World Cup
Finn Allen’s spectacular century stunned South Africa as New Zealand advanced to the T20 World Cup final with an emphatic nine-wicket win in their second semi-final at Eden Gardens.
Allen’s strike rate surpassed 300 as he became the fastest full member nation T20I century ever made; surpassing Chris Gayle’s 47-ball ton against England from 2016.
South Africa was effectively doomed at the innings break as Tim Seifert and Allen unleashed their devastating opener stand of 117 in just 29 balls; Seifert reaching fifty before Allen joined him nine balls later.
Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen combined for a strong seventh-wicket partnership of 73 to give South Africa hope of victory, but even with Jansen’s unbeaten 55 off 30 balls they struggled against New Zealand.
Finn Allen then came back into play and struck again, taking five wickets in six balls during his fifth over. Corbin Bosch fell victim to Finn’s brilliant delivery which hit mid-off and crashed into his stumps – New Zealand quickly achieved their target after 12.5 overs and are on track for their maiden T20 World Cup triumph!
South Africa vs. New Zealand
The rivalry between New Zealand (All Blacks) and South Africa (Springboks) is one of the greatest in world rugby. Both sides rank highly and have won seven out of the ten rugby world cups between them since 1921; their history together runs deep both on and off the pitch.
Proteas batsmen struggled against the ball early, being reduced to 67/3 by 13 overs. Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen rescued their innings with a resilient 73-run partnership, breaking a sixth-wicket record and helping their hosts reach 169/8 from 20 overs. Jansen’s unbeaten half century propelled his hosts past this mark.
New Zealand openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen made an aggressive start, scoring 84 in powerplay overs. Rabada and Kagiso Rabada eventually returned fire with double strikes that brought Seifert back down from his scoring spree of 55 off 30 balls; thus New Zealand won by 97 runs to secure their place in the final. South Africa should take note: this defeat should send shockwaves down their spines about their credentials at this tournament.
Match Summary
Following Afghanistan, South Africa made a dramatic comeback at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval to win their fifth and final T20I and complete their remarkable turnaround in this tournament.
Led by Finn Allen’s brilliant century and consistent batting performances by Aiden Markram and David Miller, South Africa easily overcame an unlikely chase and secured their win – providing a great way to end this series and move one step closer toward qualifying for Super 8s qualification.
Proteas made a slow start in their chase but managed to stay in control through its middle stages, losing only two wickets. James Neesham and Tim Robinson combined for an outstanding 62-run partnership that provided some impetus to New Zealand, yet were ultimately powerless against Proteas running away with victory.
South Africa was impressive in their bowling performance, managing to restrict New Zealand to an inferior total. Unfortunately, due to failing in both fields and bat, New Zealand found it extremely difficult to chase down their target.
South African bowlers did well to contain New Zealand batting, yet their lack of discipline in the field allowed them to fall behind the run rate as they attempted to chase down their target.
Esterhuizen showed great aggression in his first over of the powerplay by hitting Ben Sears for two boundaries in deep cover region and another off off his next ball, adding another four off off off next one before flicking one slower ball towards leg side to complete his half century off 33 balls – becoming joint leading scorer of tournament.
Keshav Maharaj expressed great pride in his players as they displayed hunger and desire that was great to see as it boded well for future South African cricket teams and young Protea players having made such strides to learn what international cricket was all about.
Final Score
South Africa completed an astonishing comeback against New Zealand to claim their first away bilateral series victory since August 2022 at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, defeating them by 33 runs and sealing the series 3-2. South African’s performance under challenging conditions was outstanding as they completed a remarkable comeback victory and claimed their first away bilateral series triumph since August 2022.
Finn Allen’s brilliant century was the stand-out moment in this match against South Africa as he broke records by reaching it within just 33 balls, sealing his team’s spot in Ahmedabad for Sunday’s final.
Even after losing several wickets early on, South Africa were in control throughout. Wiaan Mulder’s powerful spell in the powerplay combined with Dian Forrester and Connor Esterhuizen’s aggressive partnership was enough to put them in an advantageous position; Ottniel Baartman and Gerald Coetzee also contributed with wickets that kept New Zealand at bay.
New Zealand captain James Neesham lamented their missed opportunities. He stated, “It has been a difficult summer and we made some errors that cost us. Our youngsters had an invaluable chance to understand what cricket was all about – I hope that they take away many lessons and grow from this.”
Keshav Maharaj, South Africa captain, views this victory as being particularly memorable as they had faced elimination at one stage of the tournament. Although his team lacked experience, they played with passion and hunger throughout this series and will emerge stronger for it. He believes that youngster will learn a great deal from it as well.
