Finn Allen, the opener for New Zealand, broke the previous mark in the third Twenty20 international against Pakistan by hitting 137 off 62 deliveries. His innings outperformed the record.
NEW DELHI: In the third Twenty20 international against Pakistan on Wednesday in Dunedin, opener Finn Allen of New Zealand made history by hitting a record-breaking 137 off just 62 deliveries.
In addition to surpassing Brendon McCullum’s previous record of 123 for a New Zealander in a Twenty20 international, Allen’s incredible effort tied the global record for the most sixes in an innings, which was previously held by Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai with 16 maximums.
With three sixes, two fours, and a single, Kiwi batsman Allen amassed 27 runs in an over, but Haris Rauf endured the brunt of his barrage.
With two games remaining, New Zealand could conceivably win the five-match series and set Pakistan an intimidating target of 225 runs to win the third Twenty20 international. This was made possible by the whirlwind knock.
Following Devon Conway’s early seven-wicket loss, Allen and Tim Seifert combined to put up a strong 125 runs for the second wicket. Seifert was a crucial supporting player, concentrating on switching up the strike to maintain Allen’s aggressiveness.
Because of Allen’s powerful shots that sent ballpark rockets hurtling into the air, the umpires had to change the ball three times throughout his inning.
In the eighteenth over, Zaman Khan knocked Allen off with an off-cut. In a show of good sportsmanship, Khan cheered the New Zealand batsman as he left the field, capping an incredible innings.
Seven Indians make up Wisden’s 2023 men’s ODI squad of the year.
(With AFP contributions)