New Zealand’s explosive opener Finn Allen created such a storm in the T20 World Cup semi-finals that the entire South African team was left stunned. In the match played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Allen scored an unbeaten century in just 33 balls and gave his team a spectacular victory by nine wickets. New Zealand achieved the target of 170 runs in just 12.5 overs and ended the match 43 balls early. Allen thrilled the entire stadium with his explosive shots and thrashed the South African bowlers.
India series became Allen’s strength
After the match, Allen cited the series played against India as a major reason behind his brilliant innings. He believes that the five-match series played in India before the World Cup helped the team a lot in understanding the conditions here. Allen said, ‘This shows how important the series played in India before the World Cup was. Playing five matches on black soil pitches gave us a lot of experience, it is not easy to repeat such preparation. He also admitted that even though New Zealand had lost in that series, the team definitely gained confidence and experience from there.
Bowlers laid the foundation of victory
Allen also credited the New Zealand bowlers for his innings, who changed the course of the match by taking early wickets. He said, ‘Our bowlers made a great start and set the match for us. On such a pitch, if wickets are available in the beginning and pressure is created, then the task becomes easier for the batsmen. Taking advantage of this hard work of the bowlers, Allen later attacked the South African bowlers.
Lots of praise for Tim Seifert
Allen also praised his opening partner Tim Seifert. Seifert made the team’s victory easy by scoring 58 runs in 33 balls. Allen said, ‘He was continuously hitting fours and sixes and has been in great form throughout the tournament. He is an amazing player and is showing the world what he can do. He also jokingly said that sometimes he feels like he is watching the best of Seifert’s batting while sitting on the field.
South Africa suffered a crushing defeat
After this defeat, South African coach Shukri clearly said that it was not a choke but a one-sided defeat. “I don’t think it was a choke,” he said. It was a completely crushing defeat. Choke is called when there is little chance in the match, but we did not get any chance. He further said, ‘We got a real slap, that is, a blow that shakes suddenly and completely.’
Now keep an eye on the finals
The New Zealand team has now reached the finals and Allen hopes that the entire country will support the team. He said, ‘Finals are special and not every player gets many chances. Hopefully the entire country will stand with us on Sunday.