New Zealand crush South Africa by 9 wickets to reach T20 World Cup final

 Kolkata (Web Desk): In the first semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup, New Zealand defeated South Africa by nine wickets to secure a place in the final.

Playing in Kolkata, New Zealand comfortably chased down the 170-run target with the loss of just one wicket, achieving the total with 43 balls to spare.

Opener Finn Allen delivered a sensational performance, scoring an unbeaten century off just 33 balls. His explosive innings included 10 fours and 8 sixes. The only wicket to fall was Tim Seifert, who scored 58 runs, while Rachin Ravindra remained unbeaten on 13.

Earlier, South Africa posted 169 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs. Marco Jansen played a crucial unbeaten knock of 55 runs in the lower order to lift his team’s total. Dewald Brevis contributed 34 runs and Tristan Stubbs added 29.

However, the top order struggled, with captain Aiden Markram scoring 18, Quinton de Kock 10, David Miller 6, and Ryan Rickelton dismissed without scoring.

New Zealand’s bowlers also played their part with disciplined performances, helping restrict South Africa before the batters completed a dominant chase.