Cricket

Finn-tastic Kiwi urges NZ to watch World Cup final

Mar 5, 2026

Finn Allen may have signalled his intentions by hitting Perth Scorchers to the Big Bash title, but the New Zealander has rocketed into a different league of fame by smashing the Black Caps into the final of the T20 World Cup at Eden Gardens.

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On the Kolkata ground where the IPL's Knight Riders expect great things from him when the league starts this month, the 26-year-old treated the locals on Wednesday night to the sort of pyrotechnics they can expect as he smote the quickest hundred ever seen in a World Cup match, off just 33 balls, to guide the Kiwis to the final.

But after giving the previously unbeaten South African side what their coach Shukri Conrad could only confess was a "walloping", Allen, already a cult figure in Perth for being the BBL's top-scorer in their title-winning season, now has his sights on leading New Zealand's men to their first global white-ball title.

And the 26-year-old hopes the whole of the country will enjoy watching them achieve their aim against either India or England on a magic Monday.

"Hopefully they're proud," he said, knowing the nation would be waking up to the news of how they obliterated the Proteas by nine wickets in the semi-final.

"Obviously, difficult time for people to watch back home (in the early hours) but I'm sure people were keeping tabs on the game and hopefully they can get up and have a Monday off at work and watch the final."

Never having beaten South Africa in a T20 World Cup and having been hammered by seven wickets by the Proteas in the group stages, it was put to coach Conrad by one reporter that his side may have choked again.

"I don't know if tonight was a choke. I thought it was a bloody walloping. We got our arses kicked," he Conrad.

"In order for you to choke, you must have had a sniff in the game. We didn't have a sniff. Tonight, we got a proper 'snotklapped', a South African word meaning a real hiding."

'Snotklapper-in-chief' was Allen, even though he was quick to pass on the accolade to his opening partner Tim Seifert, the Melbourne Renegades star who scored 58 in their blistering opening partnership of 117.

"Timmy's an incredible player and I think he's just showing the world what he can do and that makes it easy for me to sit back and have the best seat in the house. So, yeah, it's good fun batting with him."

So who does Finn want to play in the final?

"Hell of a question," he shrugged.

"Look, I think we're happy with anyone. We've got a lot of momentum going into the weekend. I think if we play our best cricket, we can beat anybody."