New Zealand vs South Africa, T20 Cricket World Cup: Finn Allen scored the fastest century in the history of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup as New Zealand national cricket team defeated South Africa national cricket team by nine wickets in the first semi-final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The right-handed opener brought up his hundred in just 33 balls during New Zealand’s chase of 170, surpassing the previous record of 47 balls set by Chris Gayle against England in the 2016 edition in Mumbai.

Allen reached the landmark by hitting Marco Jansen for a boundary on the fifth ball of the 13th over. He remained unbeaten on 100 off 33 deliveries, striking 10 fours and eight sixes in a dominant display. He had earlier raced to his half-century in 19 balls, the fastest by a New Zealand batter in a T20 World Cup match. Allen then added the next 50 runs in just 14 deliveries to register his third T20 International hundred. Allen’s record-breaking innings powered New Zealand into the final in emphatic fashion.

Fastest Hundreds in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup History