T20 World Cup: Dynamic Finn Allen adds new dimension to New Zealand setup as Kiwis aim for T20 World Cup glory Down Under

From young to experienced, many are set to play their first T20 World Cup when action gets underway Down Under. Before the first ball is bowled, Firstpost.com brings to you FirstCup – a special series where we chart journeys of T20 World Cup debutants.

Finn Allen made his T20 debut for Auckland in January 2017, a year before he made his debut in First-Class cricket. His breakthrough season came with Wellington during the 2020-21 Super Smash T20 tournament, as he scored 512 runs from 11 matches, and it did not take him long to make his T20I debut for the Black Caps (against Bangladesh), in March 2021.

He is known for his aggressive batting at the top order and has the ability to score the bulk of the runs on a consistent basis. And now, Finn Allen looks set to make his mark at the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.

18-ball fifty against Bangladesh at home, and troubles later in 2021

Talking about batting prowess and an aggressive approach, Allen showed no mercy towards Bangladesh during the third T20I at Auckland. Allen would go on to amass 71 runs off just 29 balls, with his fifty coming off just 18 deliveries.

That blistering knock would announce the arrival of Allen on the international stage. To put into context, Allen had endured a golden duck on debut, followed by a knock of 17 in his second T20I for the Kiwis.

Even in his 10-ball 17-run knock against Bangladesh in his second T20I, Allen had amassed two fours and a six, but his quickfire 79 in the game that followed was probably what defined the 23-year-old as an aggressive batter, something that New Zealand will need at the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Yet, Allen’s road to being named in the New Zealand squad was not so easy. While he was named as Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) replacement for Australia’s Josh Philippe for the IPL 2021 season, he failed to play in a single game all season.

Fast forward to August 2021, Allen was tested positive for COVID-19 after reaching Dhaka for New Zealand’s tour of Bangladesh, and was forced into isolation for a week. In September first week, Allen finally tested negative for COVID-19, but he would go on to endure a tough run of scores of 15 and 12 in two T20Is against Bangladesh in Mirpur, and although he did score a 34-ball 41 in the match that followed, he still would not find a place in the New Zealand squad for the T20 World Cup 2021.

101 against Scotland in 2022

After a few moderate performances against Ireland in the T20Is, Allen returned to his best yet again, this time against Scotland.

It was a 56-ball 101 that helped Allen light up Edinburgh during the first T20I against Scotland, and this too, was an occasion when Allen opened the innings and batted all the 20 overs, and yet needed less than 60 balls to score his century. Allen was at his very best, hitting boundaries all over the ground to dismantle Scotland.

“Nice wicket to get and to get a few runs on the board. Nice to get a few out of the middle and get a score for your country. Gups [Guptill] is so good through the middle, he is a great character and it’s always nice batting with him. Good surface, it was coming on nicely, longing for it from Ireland,” Allen had said after his century.

Speaking of Guptill, the veteran would be playing his seventh T20 World Cup for New Zealand, and it could be a matter of competition between Allen and Guptill for the opening slot, with Devon Conway also in the fray.

All three featured in the T20I tri-series match against Bangladesh on Wednesday, but that may not always be the case. It wasn’t the case in the Tri-Series final against Pakistan on Friday as well

Allen, however, said in September that he was not looking to put ‘pressure’ on the competition.

“It’s not really a fight, I think. He’s done it for so long. And he’s got so many accolades in New Zealand. He’s such an incredible player,” Allen had said.

“For me, I’m just grateful for opportunities to be in the squad and to get my chances when I can. I just look at it like that. I try not to put too much pressure on (from) that sort of stuff,” he added.

Sixes galore Finn Allen

The opposition would be wary of Finn Allen’s six-hitting prowess. The opener even very recently put on his aggressive best yet again amassing a 42-ball 62 to trouble Pakistan bowlers during the tri-series at home, hitting six sixes on the way.

It was utter domination from Allen, who put on a 117-run stand for the opening wicket with Devon Conway, while New Zealand were chasing a target of 131.

Allen’s power-hitting abilities should certainly help New Zealand’s case in the 2022 T20 World Cup as last year’s finalists hope to go one step further and win the elusive trophy Down Under. Once he gets going, there’s just no stopping him, but a World Cup is a different ball game altogether, and Allen will welcome the challenge with both hands, now that he has built an aggressive reputation.

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