When Allen clicks, even the best crumble

On Wednesday, New Zealand’s Finn Allen produced an innings that showcased just how destructive the right-hander can be on his day. A closer look at his career, however, shows that such days have not been very common for the opener.

Chasing a 170-run target, Allen smashed the fastest century in the history of T20 World Cups – an unbeaten 100 off just 33 deliveries – to propel the Black Caps past South Africa in Kolkata and into the final of this edition.

South Africa coach Shukri Conrad dismissed the notion that it was another instance of the Proteas choking in the knockout stages of major global competitions, instead describing the nine-wicket thumping, with 43 balls to spare, as a “bloody walloping”.

The main reason behind that “walloping” was Allen – a player who does not produce staggering numbers consistently, but when he does, even the most in-form teams can look helpless in the face of his onslaught. South Africa were unbeaten heading into the semifinal but could do little to contain him.

Allen scored just 95 runs in five matches at an average of 19 during the 2022 T20 World Cup. His numbers dipped further in the following edition in 2024, when he managed only 35 runs at an average of 8.75.

Even in this World Cup, before his swashbuckling century against the Proteas, he had struck an unbeaten 84 against lower-ranked UAE in the group stage but failed to cross the 30-run mark in the other five matches.

Despite blowing hot and cold, Allen has never compromised on one aspect – his strike rate. In this edition of the tournament, he has scored at a staggering strike rate of 203.52. It also reflects the freedom he has been given to play his natural game, rarely straying from his aggressive approach, with the Proteas the unfortunate side to bear the brunt of it this time.

Allen was also well supported by opening partner Tim Seifert, who struck a brisk fifty.

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner also endorsed the approach taken by the openers, praising their intent.

“They (the openers) kind of just went out there and played their game and took it on, which was cool to see,” Santner said after the match.

“Finny (Allen) just carried on and, I mean, 33 balls for 100, it’s not bad. Not bad at all. It’d be nice if we could (repeat this in the final),” Santner added.

For New Zealand, Santner’s words will reflect their main hope. Given Allen’s nature as a batter, the Black Caps will simply hope he can fire once more and have another day of his own when they take the field for the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.