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New Zealand Crushes South Africa to Reach T20 World Cup Final

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Key Points
  • Finn Allen smashed an unbeaten 100 off 33 balls to lead New Zealand to a nine-wicket victory over South Africa.
  • New Zealand's openers put on 117 runs in 55 balls, chasing down 170 with 43 balls to spare to reach the T20 World Cup final.
  • South Africa collapsed to 12-2 early and, despite Marco Jansen's 55 not out, lost their first match of the tournament.

Finn Allen scored an unbeaten century of 100 not out from 33 balls for New Zealand, a knock that included 10 fours and eight sixes. He was particularly destructive in a partnership with Rachin Ravindra, scoring 42 runs off just 11 deliveries, and hit Marco Jansen for five consecutive boundaries. Opening partner Tim Seifert supported with a half-century of 58 off 33 balls, as the pair put on 117 runs for the first wicket in 55 balls.

New Zealand's openers scored 84 runs in the first six overs, and the team never looked back after their strong start. They chased down the target with 43 balls to spare. South Africa, who were previously unbeaten at the tournament and had defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in the initial group phase, lost the toss in this match.

Their innings began disastrously, losing Quinton de Kock (10) and Ryan Rickelton (0) to consecutive deliveries in the second over, slumping to 12-2. Aiden Markram scored 18 off 20 balls and was dropped on three, while David Miller scored 6 runs and was also dropped on three. Dewald Brevis scored 34 off 27 balls before being caught by Mitchell Santner in the 11th over.

Marco Jansen provided late resistance with an unbeaten 55 off 30 balls, including a 27-ball half-century and five sixes, and put on 73 runs for the sixth wicket with Tristan Stubbs, who scored 29 off 24 balls. South Africa scored 169-8 in their innings, recovering from 108-5 to add 61 runs in the final five overs. The exact date and location of the match have not been disclosed.

New Zealand's next opponent in the final remains unknown.

Sourced
BBC Sport
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