“I just tried to get in good positions and perform for the team,” said a composed Finn Allen after his blistering 33-ball unbeaten 100 powered New Zealand into the T20 World Cup final with a nine-wicket demolition of South Africa in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Player-of-the-Match Allen said the intent was clear from the outset, and having an aggressive batter at the other end also helped him.

Allen and Tim Seifert (58 off 33 balls) put on a 117-run stand for the opening wicket to literally kill the contest.

“We wanted to start well and put them on the back foot early. Easy for me when Timmy is going like that. I can just watch and get him on strike. He batted on a flyer. Huge game for us,” Allen said.

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On adapting to the conditions, Allen underlined the importance of preparation.

“You adapt to the wicket. Training is really important to get a feel of the surface. We knew it would be black soil; we had that intel. Shows how important that series was before the World Cup.”

Despite the emphatic win, the opener quickly shifted his focus to the summit clash. The winner of the Thursday’s semifinal between India and England in Mumbai will clash with the Kiwis in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

“You take the positives from the game and celebrate a little but you have a final to look forward to on Sunday.”

Skipper Mitchell Santner termed it one of their most complete performances.

“When you see how good South Africa are, to put on a performance like that in a crunch game is pretty pleasing. Earlier we have been good in periods, today we were good all the way through.”

Santner said there was clarity in planning, including the tactical use of spin in the PowerPlay.

“There was a plan for the first two overs and then a free-for-all. With [Dewald] Brevis coming in, we knew he likes spin but we thought it would be better spinning it away from him.”

Though the 170-run target appeared competitive at the break, the captain admitted the openers turned it into a one-sided affair.

“In T20, you never know. Wickets in the PowerPlay would have made it a challenge. But they took it on. And Finny just carried on. A 33-ball 100 is not bad,” he said with a smile.

Looking ahead, Santner remained cautious.

“It’s a different ground next time, red soil, black soil, lot of variables. Pretty good performance. I don’t know if it was a perfect game, but we were good all the way through.”

A dejected South Africa captain Aiden Markram conceded that Allen’s knock floored them.

“They bowled really well up front. Credit to their bowling unit. And when someone plays an innings like that, you don’t often come out on the right side of that.”

Markram felt his side may have fallen short on a good batting surface.

“To get to 170 was a great effort, to be fair. Maybe we had to scrape our way to 190, and we’d be in the game. They got off to a flyer in the PowerPlay. Massive credit to Finn Allen and Seifert to kill the game off as early as they did,” he said.

Despite the disappointment, the Proteas skipper expressed pride in his team’s campaign.

“Obviously, disappointed in the result, but really proud of these guys. We’ll let the emotions settle first and then have a discussion as a group. Hugely disappointed, but we’ll have to come back stronger and be better as a team.”

Published on Mar 04, 2026