Finn Allen brought up 100 off 48 [X.com]
New Zealand's explosive batter Finn Allen came into the third T20I with form behind his back and showcased batting prowess at Dunedin against Pakistan, which helped the player register several records.
During his exhilarating knock of 137, Allen became the third-fastest New Zealand batter to score T20I century, taking just 48 balls, which puts him behind Glenn Phillips, and Colin Munro.
Both Phillips and Munro, scored record-breaking T20I centuries against West Indies, with the former taking 46 and the latter taking 47 balls, respectively. Closely behind Allen are Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum, who both struck tons against Australia, taking 49 and 50 deliveries, respectively.
Fastest T20I Century For New Zealand
| Player | Opponent | Balls |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Phillips | West Indies | 46 |
| Colin Munro | West Indies | 47 |
| Finn Allen | Pakistan | 48 |
| Martin Guptill | Australia | 49 |
| Brendon McCullum | Australia | 50 |
Allen slammed 16 towering sixes, levelling him with Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai's world record of hitting the most sixes in a T20I innings (16).
This is also the most sixes hit by a New Zealand batter in a single innings. Allen's 137 is also the highest score for any Kiwi batter in T20Is, better than former captain Brendon McCullum's 123 against Bangladesh in 2012.
The 24-year-old especially took a liking to Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf, who went for 28 and 23 runs in his second and third over, where the former contributed 46 runs himself.
Allen finished his 137 knock with five fours, and 16 sixes, which pacer Zaman Khan ended in the 17th over, that helped New Zealand put up a mammoth 225-run target for Pakistan.
Overall, in 38 T20Is, the Auckland-born has amassed 1,025 runs with two centuries and four fifties, between 2021 and 2024.
 "Vishal Mehra")
