Another one of those nights that makes cricket so wonderfully unpredictable. Most people had South Africa pencilled in for the final, yet the Black Caps turned the script upside down with a crushing victory. That’s exactly what we’re bringing you in these New Zealand vs South Africa match highlights — a semi-final that ended with New Zealand into t20 world cup final territory and a jaw-dropping performance headlined by Finn Allen’s century.

New Zealand’s Perfect Semi-Final Performance

Let’s dive straight into the New Zealand vs South Africa match highlights, because the game unfolded with a bit of drama from the very start. South Africa, unbeaten heading into the semi-final, were asked to bat first after Mitchell Santner won the toss. That decision turned out to be the first key moment of the evening. Conditions at Eden Gardens looked tricky early on, with the pitch slower than usual and the ball not quite coming onto the bat the way South Africa expected.

History made! 😍

Quinton de Kock brought up the 700th six of the tournament – the first-ever ICC white-ball event to reach that milestone! 🔥

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | Semi-final 1 #SAvNZ | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/LMBOn54jDE pic.twitter.com/RGwnSEWGV5

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 4, 2026

New Zealand struck almost immediately with a clever tactical move. Off-spinning all-rounder Cole McConchie was thrown the new ball, and he delivered instantly. Quinton de Kock swiped his first boundary but fell on the very next ball, popping a catch to mid-on. Ryan Rickelton followed with a golden duck, slicing his first delivery straight to short third. Just like that, South Africa were rattled.

Off-spin does the trick for the Kiwis! 👏

☝️ de Kock
☝️ Rickelton

Cole McConchie’s double-wicket over has put South Africa under early pressure! 🥶

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | Semi-final 1 #SAvNZ | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/LMBOn54jDE pic.twitter.com/5sOpAgpsrX

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 4, 2026

From there, the pressure built steadily. Santner tightened the screws with a tidy over, while Rachin Ravindra joined the party with two crucial wickets. Aiden Markram, who had been dropped earlier, eventually fell attempting to go big down the ground. David Miller also struggled to get going before mistiming a lofted shot to long-off.

What an incredible effort from Daryl Mitchell to send Aiden Markram back! 👏

What’s do you think of this catch? 👀

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | Semi-final 1 #SAvNZ | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/LMBOn54jDE pic.twitter.com/joF4nS8qxu

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 4, 2026

By the halfway stage, South Africa were wobbling badly. Dewald Brevis showed some spark with a brisk 34 but couldn’t push on, undone by the sluggish surface. At 77 for 5, things looked grim for the Proteas.

Marco 𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗖𝗛 Jansen 🔥

Entered at 77/5 & played an innings of a lifetime to guide South Africa a fighting total! 🙌

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | Semi-final 1 #SAvNZ | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/LMBOn54jDE pic.twitter.com/CCD0QTflth

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 4, 2026

The rescue act came from Marco Jansen. His 55 from just 30 balls, including five towering sixes, gave South Africa something resembling a competitive total. Jansen and Tristan Stubbs added a valuable 73-run partnership, the highest sixth-wicket stand for South Africa in men’s T20Is. Still, New Zealand closed things out neatly, restricting them to 169 for 8.

Finn Allen’s Century Lights Up Eden Gardens

If there was ever a moment that screamed New Zealand into t20 world cup final, it was the sheer brilliance of Finn Allen’s century. Allen came out swinging and never stopped. Tim Seifert initially took charge, racing to 41 early runs in the powerplay, but soon the spotlight shifted completely. Allen reached his half-century in just 19 balls — already the fastest in a T20 World Cup knockout match. Then things went from impressive to ridiculous.

Finn Allen’s outrageous #T20WorldCup knock rewrote the history books 📖

Relive the epic knock for the ages from the semi-final 📹 https://t.co/PQPdgS31CL pic.twitter.com/uFwOq555CQ

— ICC (@ICC) March 4, 2026

Finn Allen’s century arrived in just 33 balls, making it the fastest hundred ever in a men’s T20 World Cup. He smashed the previous record: Chris Gayle’s 47-ball ton in 2016 by a massive 14 deliveries. It was also the fastest century by a New Zealand player in T20 internationals.

WHAT. AN. INNINGS. 🙌

Finn Allen smashed the fastest-ever hundred in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, off just 33 deliveries, to guide New Zealand to the final! 🖤#T20WorldCup #SAvNZ pic.twitter.com/HI1THR9wBR

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 4, 2026

By the time the dust settled, Allen had hammered 18 boundaries, tying the record for most in a single T20 World Cup innings. Eight of those were sixes, helping him set a new tournament record for the most sixes in a single edition.

Finn Allen does the impossible 🤩

The fastest T20I century against a full ICC member 🚀#T20WorldCup #SAvNZ pic.twitter.com/jeP031TPWi

— Sport360° (@Sport360) March 4, 2026

It wasn’t just a personal milestone either. Finn Allen’s century became the first hundred ever scored in a knockout match at the men’s T20 World Cup. That extraordinary knock powered New Zealand into t20 world cup final in spectacular fashion. South Africa did manage one breakthrough when Kagiso Rabada dismissed Seifert for 58, but by then the result was already slipping away.

FINN ALLEN, TAKE A BOW 🙌

The fastest century in men’s #T20WorldCup history, the first in a knockout match! pic.twitter.com/yFf5OFdSrm

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 4, 2026

Allen calmly finished the chase alongside Ravindra as New Zealand reached the target in under 13 overs. It was demolition rather than drama, the sort of chase that instantly becomes part of cricket folklore and a central chapter in any New Zealand vs South Africa match highlights recap.

New Zealand vs South Africa Match Result (Scorecard)

South Africa Reflect on a Brutal Night

After the match, South Africa were understandably disappointed but honest in their assessment of what went wrong. Captain Aiden Markram summed up the feeling in the dressing room.

“Yeah, hugely disappointed,” Markram said at the presentation. “It’s a big, not slap in the face, but it feels like it. But because of that, ultimately, we’ll have to come out stronger and be better as a team moving forward.”

Markram admitted that the team may have misjudged conditions with the bat.

“We’ll reflect as a group,” Markram said. “I think we expected the wicket to play really well. It looked pretty good to the eye. So, potentially just adapt a bit quicker with the bat and go back to a little bit more old-school approach, set it up and try to scrap your way to 190 and maybe you’ll be in the game from there.”

He also credited New Zealand’s bowlers for applying relentless pressure.

“Yeah, I think you just look at conditions, really,” Markram said. “They bowled really well upfront. The ball didn’t quite feel like it was coming on, some were just stopping in the wickets, some were hitting quite low on the bat and they made scoring really tough. And then through that, pressure builds and you lose wickets, unfortunately. So give credit to that bowling unit.”

Despite the heavy defeat, Markram remained proud of his squad’s tournament campaign.

“Obviously, disappointed with the result. But very proud of this group of guys. They played some really good cricket throughout this comp. And just an unfortunate evening, really.”

Black Caps March on to The Final

And so, the story of these New Zealand vs South Africa match highlights ends with the Black Caps celebrating a historic result. From clever bowling changes to a once-in-a-generation batting display, everything clicked at exactly the right moment. Most importantly, Finn Allen’s century turned what could have been a tense chase into a spectacular statement win.

Off to the Big Dance in Ahmedabad. #T20WorldCup | 📸 = ICC/Getty pic.twitter.com/YDqLPtfqDS

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 4, 2026

With New Zealand into t20 world cup final, the Black Caps now stand just one step away from lifting the trophy. If they carry this kind of momentum into the final, the rest of the cricketing world may need to brace for something very special.