With more than a quarter of the deliveries he faced being fired into the crowd, it could have seemed a chaotic scene to those packed inside University Oval.
Yet Allen believed the key behind his knock of 137 — and the primary factor for the career-best form he’s carrying into tonight’s fourth match at Hagley Oval — was greater discipline in approach at the crease.
“I’m just evaluating risk and the times I want to take high-risk options,” Allen said. “Maybe prior to this summer, it was a little bit all over the show and not much control, so just trying to have more control now and be a bit more decisive.
“I’m just adapting to the scenario a bit better and picking my moments when to go. Trying to have a stable base, build off that and expand my game from there.”
That change in process has been clear in the results. After finishing second to Jos Buttler in run-scoring during last year’s Hundred in England, Allen has enjoyed a golden summer in the short forms.
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The 24-year-old, who returned to home province Auckland after a stint in Wellington, began by cracking two tons while averaging 77 from five Ford Trophy matches.
That run has featured the odd hurdle, and Allen was one of many batters who battled in the drawn T20 series against Bangladesh, but he knows those stumbles are inherent in T20 cricket.
“It’s such a fickle game and the tide can turn real quick,” he said. “It’s always nice to contribute and I know how it feels when you’re not contributing, so it’s cool to relish the moments when you do.
Finn Allen raises his bat after scoring a century against Pakistan. Photo / Getty Images
“I’m not so personal-milestone driven; it’s just good to get the team across the line and put up a competitive score, take the series win which we knew was going to be pretty tough.”
The Black Caps have in fact made it look easy, recording three of their 30 highest T20 totals in less than a week. Allen has provided a powerful base in constructing those innings, equally effective when crunching drives or bludgeoning square of the wicket.
The destruction in Dunedin took him to 1000 T20I runs from 611 balls — third-fastest behind two of the format’s finest exponents in Suryakumar Yadav (573) and Glenn Maxwell (604). And having looked up to another ferocious opener in Brendon McCullum, Allen sailed past the former captain’s team-record score of 123.
There appears little left to achieve in the series’ final two matches in Christchurch and, given the clarity with which he’s seeing the ball, Allen has allowed himself a glance ahead to the T20 World Cup in June.
“I’m always looking to get better and grow my game, and to see the hard work of the last few months come off is always nice,” he said.
“There’s events down the line to build towards. With the training that I’m doing, it’s always nice to spend more time in the middle. I just want to keep getting experience out in the middle.
“Pakistan are a quality opposition and they’ll still come hard at us for two games, so it’s a good chance to test where we’re at and keep the consistency going.”
