Finn Allen showed exactly why he is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most destructive hitters as he powered the Black Caps into the T20 World Cup final.
His record-breaking 33-ball hundred, featuring eight sixes and 10 fours, in the semi-final dismantled a high-class Proteas bowling attack in brutal fashion.
Allen obliterated the previous T20 World Cup century record of 47 balls set by Chris Gayle in 2016 as New Zealand chased down 170 in just 12.5 overs on Wednesday.
Now he and New Zealand are one win away from their first T20 World Cup crown and believe they can beat anyone on their day.
The strongly built Allen is an imposing figure at the crease, evoking comparisons with Australian great Matthew Hayden.
“Matthew Hayden back in the day, he was big – he intimidated bowlers by just his stance,” former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Cricbuzz. “Graeme Smith had it for a while as well. I think Finn Allen does that.
“When he stands there, as you run in to bowl, you see this monster. The muscles and the tattoos are all there and you think: ‘Oh God!’ Brutal.
“He could go again in the final,” added Vaughan.
MORE: Weight of a nation on India’s shoulders
The Auckland-born Allen gave a glimpse of his extraordinary talent earlier in the tournament with an unbeaten 84 off 50 balls in a 10-wicket romp past the UAE in a group fixture.
Allen reached his hundred against South Africa in emphatic style, crashing two fours, two sixes and another four off successive balls from Marco Jansen.
“Amazing hitting, world-class striking,” New Zealand all-rounder Cole McConchie said. “He has been doing it for a long time and to do it on a big stage like that is super special for him and everyone’s really proud of him.”
Allen, 26, made his international debut in March 2021.
In 2024, the world took notice of his power-hitting after his 62-ball 137, including 16 sixes, against Pakistan in a T20I in Dunedin.
His unbeaten 100 at Eden Gardens was his third T20I century in 61 matches.
ALSO: Samson eyes ‘one more’ big knock
Perennial underdogs New Zealand edged into the semi-finals on net run rate but are seeking a first World Cup title in either white-ball format.
They will face defending champions India at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
A billion Indians will be watching elsewhere, but Allen said fans back home in New Zealand, with a population of about 5.3 million, will also be throwing their weight behind their team.
“I think as a nation, hopefully everyone gets behind us and rallies around us for Sunday,” he said.
“Hopefully they can get up, have a Monday off work and watch the final.
“I back us. We’ve got a lot of momentum going into the weekend. If we play our best cricket, we can beat anybody.”
– AFP
Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images
