SA vs NZ, T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal: New Zealand Book Ticket To Final In Just 12.5 Overs And Nine Wickets To Spare

The New Zealand batter Finn Allen achieved a unique feat, scoring the fastest hundred in the history of the T20 World Cup and was awarded Player of the Match. He surpassed Chris Gayle's record of scoring a hundred in 47 balls against England in 2016 by reaching the milestone in just 33 deliveries. His records also include the following achievements.

- Fastest in T20WCs

- Fastest against a full-member side in T20Is

- Joint third fastest in all T20Is

- Joint fastest for a batter from FM teams, alongside Sikandar Raza vs Gambia, Nairobi (2024)

Fastest T20I hundreds (by balls taken)

27 - Sahil Chauhan (Estonia) v Cyprus, Episkopi, 2024

29 - Muhammad Fahad (Turkey) v Bulgaria, Sofia, 2025

33 - Finn Allen (NZ) vs SA, Kolkata, 2026

33 - Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (NAM) vs NEP, Kirtipur, 2024

33 - Sikandar Raza (ZIM) v Gambia, Nairobi, 2024

The New Zealand batters made the target of 170 look too small with their monstrous hitting. Tim Seifert was dismissed after scoring fifty, but Allen continued his carnage. The right-handed batter scored his century in just 33 balls and recorded the fastest century in the T20 World Cup history.

New Zealand's win is just a matter of a few overs now as the openers have torn apart the opposition bowling attack. Tim Seifert completed his half-century in 28 balls, and Allen completed his in 19 deliveries, registering the joint-fastest fifty of the T20 World Cup 2026 along with Dasun Shanaka, Aiden Markram, and Shimron Hetmyer. Seifert was dismissed by Rabada on 58 but it is now too late for South Africa as they might have missed the ticket to the final.

The opening pair of Tim Seifert and Finna Allen gave New Zealand a flying stat and it seems that they have almost finished the match. The duo amassed 84 runs from the first six overs, and they were heading towards the target at a quick pace. When South Africa was batting, the surface looked a bit diffuclt to bat but the New Zealand openers have made it look like an easy task at the Eden Gardens.

Although Tristan Stubbs was dismissed by Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen kept batting like a top-order batter. He was middling almost every ball, and that eventually led to him scoring a 27-ball fifty. His knock of unbeaten 55 runs from 30 deliveries helped the South African team post 169/8 on the scoreboard. The 25-year-old is usually known for troubling the batters with new balls via his swing, but today he helped South Africa recover from a troublesome situation.

Just when Brevis was looking good and had set his eyes, he was dismissed by James Neesha. The pitch is not easy, and the South African batters are finding it tough to score fluently. Notably, Marco Jansen has been middling the ball ever since he came to bat, and the South African team will hope that he will propel them to a decent total.

After spending a significant amount of time on the crease, Brevis has started to attack the spinners and accelerate the innings. He smashed six against both Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner. David Miller got a lifeline as he was dropped by Glenn Phillips, but was dismissed in the next over immediately. Brevis is fighting from one end, but he needs support from the other if South Africa is to post a challenging total for New Zealand.

South Africa are now 48/2 after the first six overs. They lost two wickets quickly, but the duo of Aiden Markram (16) and Dewald Brevis (15) has formed a 36-run partnership so far, helping the team script a recovery. The pair will now aim to boost the scoring momentum and convert the start into a big score.

South Africa lost two wickets early as Quinton de Kock was dismissed on 10, and then Ryan Rickelton was dismissed on a golden duck by Cole McConchie. Aiden Markram and Dewald Brevis are at the crease, and the responsibility to steady the innings will be on them.

Multiple changes in the team combination from both teams tonight. While New Zealand have went in with two changes, South Africa have made three changes to their playing XI. The Blackcaps have brought in Matt Henry and James Neesham. South Africa have brought in Rabada, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj in the playing XI.

Playing XI

New Zealand: Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson

South Africa: Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi

New Zealand opted to bowl first after winning the toss against South Africa in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026. Captain Mitchell Santner said that they want to put the team under pressure in the first innings.