Finn Allen’s record T20 World Cup century powers New Zealand past South Africa into final

New Zealand have stormed into the T20 World Cup final after a dominant nine-wicket victory over South Africa, propelled by a historic, record-breaking century from opener Finn Allen Chasing a target of 170 in the semi-final, Allen struck an unbeaten 100 from just 33 balls, the fastest century in the history of the men's T20 World Cup His innings, which included 10 fours and eight sixes, surpassed the previous 47-ball record set by Chris Gayle in 2016

New Zealand achieved their target with 43 balls to spare, ending South Africa’s seven-match unbeaten run in the tournament The chase began with a blistering 117-run opening partnership from only 55 balls between Allen and Tim Seifert, who contributed a rapid 58 from 33 balls before his dismissal Allen then guided his team home, sealing the emphatic win by hitting five consecutive boundaries

Earlier, after being asked to bat first, South Africa recovered from a precarious position at 77-5 to post a competitive total of 169-8 Their innings was anchored by a late assault from Marco Jansen, who scored a 27-ball half-century and finished with an unbeaten 55 However, the total proved vastly inadequate in the face of Allen's onslaught.

South African captain Aiden Markram said the result felt "like we’ve been slapped in the face," while his New Zealand counterpart, Mitchell Santner, praised his team's dominant performance in a high-pressure match New Zealand will now play in the tournament final on Sunday