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T20 World Cup: New Zealand secured a berth in the 2026 T20 World Cup final after a crushing defeat in the semi-finals. New Zealand defeated South Africa ( South Africa) by 9 wickets, securing their second T20 World Cup final. Previously, the Kiwis reached the final of the T20 World Cup in 2021, but lost to Australia. Now, the Kiwis have a great chance to win the title.
Finn Allen Plays Historic Innings
Opening batsman Finn Allen played a key role in securing New Zealand’s place in the final. Allen smashed a blistering century, coming off just 33 balls and leading his team to victory in just 12.5 overs. Finn Allen smashed 10 fours and 8 towering sixes in his record-breaking century. Opener Tim Seaford also scored 58 runs.
Earlier, South Africa, batting first, scored 169 runs. Played at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the African team’s innings was full of ups and downs, but ultimately managed to reach the 150-run mark thanks to Marco Yanson’s explosive batting. New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first, and their decision initially proved correct. South Africa lost Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton for just 12 runs. The early setbacks put the team under pressure.
Captain Aiden Markram and Dewald Brevis tried to get the innings back on track by adding 43 runs for the third wicket. However, Markram was dismissed for 18 at the score of 55. David Miller and Brevis also departed soon after, leaving the team five wickets down at 77. At that point, it seemed difficult to even reach 130.
Yenson scored a half-century.
In this difficult time, Tristan Stubbs and Marco Yanson took charge. They added 73 runs for the sixth wicket, revitalizing the innings and taking the score close to 150. Lockie Ferguson broke this partnership by dismissing Stubbs. Stubbs scored 29 runs. Despite the continuous fall of wickets, Marco Yanson held firm at one end. He scored an unbeaten 55 runs in just 30 balls, including two fours and five sixes. Thanks to his aggressive innings, South Africa managed to reach 169 for eight.
For the Kiwis, Rachin Ravindra took 2 wickets for 29 runs in his four overs. Matt Henry took 2 wickets for 34 runs in his four overs. Cole McConchie took 2 wickets for 9 runs in 1 over, while Lockie Ferguson and Jimmy Neesham got 1 wicket each.
