New Zealand defeated South Africa in the 2026 T20 world cup first semifinal by nine wickets with Kiwi opener Finn Allen smashing 100 unbeaten off a mere 33 balls. New Zealand with its crushing victory also made their presence in the final of the ICC event, which will be hosted on Sunday, March 8, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In their first semifinal, New Zealand won the toss first against the Proteas, but did an excellent job to keep their counterparts to 169-8. Cole McConchie took two wickets in a single over, Matt Henry and Rachin Ravindra also contributed to the team with two each. The Kiwis arrived in 12.5 overs in the pursuit with Allen striking 10 fours and eight sixes and Tim Seifert scoring 58 in 33 overs.
The 33-ball ton by Allen has now become the new record of the fastest hundred in the Men T20 world cup. Speaking of which, now we shall proceed to see the five fastest centuries in the history of the ICC tournament.
5. Brendon McCullum (51 balls vs BAN, 2012)
In the group match of the 2012 T20 world cup in Pallekele, former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum raced to a hundred in only 51 balls against Bangladesh. McCullum only scored 123 in 58 balls, with 11 fours and seven sixes in his clearance knock.
The first decision in this game was given to Bangladesh who decided to field first. Sent out to bat, the Kiwis made 191-3 on the board in their 20 overs, the high point of which was the 72-minute knock of McCullum at No. 3. He got caught on the last ball of the innings when Abdur Razzak was bowling. Bangladesh were restricted to 132-8 in the pursuit.
4. Harry Brook – 50 balls vs PAK (2026)
Harry Brook, the England captain, hit a 100 on 50 balls against Pakistan on Pallekele in the Super 8 round of the T20 World Cup 2026. The right-handed giant clashed 10 fours and four sixes during his 85-minute stay at the crease.
In this game, Pakistan went first, and it registered 164-9 on the board. Brook headed after England in the chase, and whacking some brilliant boundaries. He was pinned down by Shaheen Shah Afridi right at his hundred. England had fallen, but managed somehow to smuggle home through two wickets, after the departure of Brook.
3. Chris Gayle – 50 balls vs SA (2007)
Chris Gayle, who is the former West Indies opener, also hit a century with 50 balls. His magnificent performance was against South Africa at the New Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg in the very first game of T20 world cup in 2007. The southpaw had scored 117 on 57 balls with seven fours and 10 sixs.
In this game, the victory of the toss fell to South Africa, and she bowled to open. The adventures of Gayle with the willow raised the West Indies 205-6. The struggle of the left-handed batter, nevertheless, did not pay off because the Proteas pursued the total in 17.4 over. Herschelle Gibbs hit 90* out of 55 balls and Justin Kemp 46* out of 22.
2. Chris Gayle – 47 balls vs ENG (2016)
Unsurprisingly, Chris Gayle appears on the list for the second time. Back in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2016, he smashed a century off just 47 balls during a Super 10 clash against England national cricket team at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Eventually, Gayle remained unbeaten on 100 from 48 balls, producing a spectacular innings that included five fours and as many as 11 sixes.
Meanwhile, the West Indies national cricket team had to chase a daunting target of 183. They suffered an early setback when Johnson Charles departed for a second-ball duck. However, Gayle’s whirlwind knock almost single-handedly rescued his side and shifted the momentum.
As a result, the Windies comfortably secured victory by six wickets with 11 balls to spare, thanks largely to Gayle’s remarkable heroics.
1. Finn Allen – 33 balls vs SA (2026)
On Wednesday, March 4, Allen set the record of Gayle by far in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026. The Kiwi took only 33 balls to get a beautiful hundred because New Zealand was dragging out an unsurpassed victory over the Proteas.
In a bid to reach a goal of 170, as a guarantee of securing a spot at the T20 World Cup 2026 final, Allen, along with Tim Seifert (58 off 33), amassed 117 runs in 55 balls in the first wicket. After Seifert had left, there was a 56-run unbroken second-wicket partnership between Allen and Ravindra (13 11).
