Finn-Allen. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Finn Allen’s ruthless hitting (137 off 62) propelled New Zealand to a mammoth total of 224/7, followed by a clinical bowling display that secured a 45-run victory for the Black Caps in the 3rd T20I of Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand.
Notably, Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. However, the decision backfired, as New Zealand posted a formidable total of 224 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. The star of the show was Fin Allen, who smashed a brilliant century (137 off 62 balls). His explosive innings, featuring five fours and a whopping 16 sixes, was ably supported by Tim Seifert (31 off 23) and Glenn Phillips (19 off 15). It was a forgettable day for Haris Rauf, who conceded a staggering 60 runs in his four overs.
In reply to New Zealand’s imposing 224-7, Babar Azam top-scored with a well-constructed 58 off 37 balls, including eight fours and a six. Mohammad Rizwan (24 off 20) and Mohammad Nawaz (28 off 15) also chipped in, but the rest of the batters failed to make significant contributions. Pakistan eventually fell short, bowled out for 179/7 in their 20 overs. Tim Southee was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, taking 2 wickets for 29 runs in his four overs. Finn Allen, for his match-winning knock of 137 runs off 62 balls, was deservedly awarded the Player of the Match award
Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from the 3rd T20I between New Zealand and Pakistan:
3 – Finn Allen’s blistering century in 48 balls is the third-fastest by a Black Caps batter in T20Is. The record remains with Glenn Phillips, who reached his ton in just 46 balls against the West Indies in 2020. Colin Munro sits second with a 47-ball century against the same opposition in 2018.
226/8 – New Zealand posted their second-highest total of 224/7 in T20 internationals against Pakistan. Their absolute highest score remains 226/8, achieved in Auckland earlier this year
40- Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Afridi combined for 40 runs in the seventh wicket, the highest partnership for Pakistan at that position in T20Is. This feat surpassed the previous record of 38 runs, set by Misbah-ul-Haq and Yasir Arafat against India in Durban in 2007.
16 – Finn Allen’s 16 sixes in his innings equal the record for most sixes in a T20I innings, a feat previously achieved by Hazratullah Zazai of Afghanistan against Ireland in 2019.
3 – Finn Allen’s remarkable 137 runs featured 116 runs from boundaries (16 sixes and five fours), placing him fourth in the list of most runs scored off boundaries in a T20I innings by a batter
3 – Babar Azam has smashed three half-centuries in this ongoing series, remarkably, all coming in losing causes. This ties him for the joint-most fifty-plus scores in losing causes in a bilateral series by a full-member player, alongside Nicholas Pooran’s feat against India in 2022.
1 – Finn Allen’s magnificent 137 is the highest score ever recorded by a New Zealand batter in T20Is. This eclipses the previous record of 123, set by Brendon McCullum against Bangladesh in Pallekele back in 2012.
116 – Finn Allen has Smashed the record for most runs in boundaries (116) in a T20I innings for New Zealand, surpassing Brendon McCullum’s previous mark of 96 against Australia in 2010
16 – Finn Allen shattered the record for most sixes in an innings by a New Zealand player in T20Is, blasting past Corey Anderson’s mark of 10 set against Bangladesh in 2017.
8 – Babar Azam has amassed eight fifty-plus scores in 18+ innings against New Zealand in T20Is, tying him for the most fifty-plus scores by a player against a single team in T20Is. He shares this record with Virat Kohli, who achieved it against Australia in 21 innings
3 – Finn Allen reached 1000 T20I runs in 611 balls, making him the third fastest player to achieve the feat after Suryakumar Yadav (573) and Glenn Maxwell (604)
250- Ish Sodhi completed 250 wickets across formats of the game.