Finn Allen's record-breaking 33-ball century propelled New Zealand to a crushing nine-wicket victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens. The explosive opener smashed exactly 100 not out off 33 balls, with New Zealand chasing down their target of 169 in just the 13th over. Allen's blitz included plundering 24 runs from the first five balls of Marco Jansen's set, leaving the Proteas reeling.

South Africa's innings had shown brief promise when Marco Jansen rescued them with an unbeaten 55 off 30 balls after they slumped to 77-5. However, their total of 169-8 proved insufficient on the Kolkata pitch notorious for favouring chasing teams. South African captain Aiden Markram acknowledged the conditions worked against them, noting the ball wasn't coming onto the bat and pressure mounted as wickets fell. Tim Seifert's rapid 58 further dismantled South Africa's hopes.

This defeat extends South Africa's World Cup drought across both 50-over and T20 formats, marking their fifth semi-final exit in ODIs and third in T20Is. New Zealand, who have now beaten South Africa four times consecutively in ICC knockout matches, advance to Sunday's final in Ahmedabad seeking their first major global title since the 2000 Champions Trophy.