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New Zealand storm Into T20 World Cup 2026 final with dominant 9-wicket win over South Africa
New Zealand beat South Africa by nine wickets in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026 at Eden Gardens, chasing 170 in just 12.5 overs to book a place in the final.
Arunima Purohit
Mar 04, 2026
New Zealand (Image Credit: ICC)
New Zealand delivered a sensational performance to defeat South Africa by nine wickets in the first semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, securing their place in the tournament final. Chasing a target of 170, the Black Caps produced a dominant batting display, reaching 173/1 in just 12.5 overs and completing the chase with 43 balls to spare.
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Batting first, Aiden Markram and Co. went on to lose wickets early, putting pressure on the middle order batters. Dewald Brevis scored 34 off 27 balls, including three boundaries and two sixes and Marco Jansen scored 55 runs in 30 balls, including two boundaries and five sixes.
New Zealand's bowlers were quite dominating throughout the match, taking wickets regularly. Cole McConchie, Rachin Ravindra, and Matt Henry picked up two wickets each. They didn't even leak runs which helped New Zealand restrict the Proteas under a good total.
Finn Allen's century helps New Zealand enter finals
The chase, however, was completely dominated by New Zealand’s opening pair. Finn Allen delivered a breathtaking innings, smashing an unbeaten century off just 33 balls, the fastest hundred in T20 World Cup history. His aggressive approach dismantled the South African bowling attack and set the tone for the chase. Allen reached his half-century in only 19 balls and continued the assault to finish the match in style.
Among the South Africa bowlers, only Kagiso Rabada managed to take a wicket. Meanwhile, Allen's catch was dropped in the initial overs by Quinton de Kock. After that dropped catch, he wreaked havoc on the bowling lineup. Now, New Zealand will wait for their opponents to reach the finals. India and England will in the second semi-finals on March 5 in Mumbai.
Where to watch England vs India match?
Cricket fans in India can watch the England vs India match on March 5 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.
Also read: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson: Who should open for India?
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