New Zealand delivered a stunning performance to dismantle South Africa’s unbeaten run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, winning the first semi-final by nine wickets with 43 balls to spare at Eden Gardens. Finn Allen’s explosive, record-breaking century powered the Black Caps to a dominant chase, booking their place in the final.
South Africa’s batting collapse
South Africa, who entered the knockout stage undefeated, were sent to bat first after New Zealand won the toss and chose to field. The Proteas struggled to build momentum on a pitch that offered good pace and bounce. Early wickets disrupted their flow, with key batsmen failing to convert starts.
Aiden Markram and Dewald Brevis showed some resistance, but the innings lacked big partnerships. Marco Jansen provided late fireworks, smashing an unbeaten 55 off 30 balls to lift South Africa to a competitive 169/8 in 20 overs. For New Zealand, the bowlers kept things tight, with contributions from Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, and others restricting the scoring rate.
Finn Allen’s historic century turns the game
Chasing 170, New Zealand’s openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert exploded out of the blocks. They raced to 84/0 in the Powerplay, setting an aggressive tone. Seifert fell after a quickfire start (58 off 33 balls), but Allen took over completely. The right-hander unleashed a barrage of boundaries and sixes, reaching his century in just 33 balls, the fastest hundred in T20 World Cup history. His unbeaten 100 anchored the chase, with Rachin Ravindra chipping in as New Zealand finished with 173/1 in only 12.5 overs.
Finn Allen’s knock was a masterclass in aggressive T20 batting, featuring powerful drives and audacious shots that left the South African bowlers helpless.
South Africa’s campaign ends in heartbreak
South Africa captain Aiden Markram reflected on the defeat. “To get to 170 was a great effort to be fair. At the halfway point we really felt like we had a sniff, but then, as it goes in T20 cricket,” he said.
“In the powerplay, they got off to a flyer and can’t protect every boundary unfortunately, and yeah, they got away, and then from there it was really hard to pull it back. So we give massive credit to Finn Allen’s knock, Tim Seifert’s knock to kill the game as early as they did, and yeah, unfortunately, it was just that bad night for us tonight,” he added.
“Obviously disappointed with the result, but very proud of this group of guys who have played some really good cricket throughout this comp, and it’s just an unfortunate evening really,” he concluded.
Mitchell Santner on the win
“It was nice. I think we knew obviously how good South Africa are, and they’ve shown that throughout the tournament. So, to put on a performance like that in a crunch game is obviously pretty pleasing. I guess every time you get shown up or you lose a game, you’re learning from it. I guess you learn when you win as well. So, we knew we weren’t as good as we could have been during that game (in Ahmedabad), and they played unbelievably. well, especially on a wicket like that. We obviously threw a little bit more spin at the start. But I think, if you can take wickets throughout, it’s obviously a challenge to keep going with the bat.
Looking forward to the final
New Zealand’s strong display ended South Africa’s hopes of a first T20 World Cup title. The Black Caps now advance to face the winner of the second semi-final between India and England, in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday (March 8).
