Finn Allen’s Record-Shattering Debut Lights Up Major League Cricket
The cricket world doesn’t see this every day. In front of a buzzing crowd at the Oakland Coliseum, Finn Allen walked in wielding his bat for the San Francisco Unicorns and left with the kind of numbers that make even cricket’s biggest legends look twice. Allen hammered a jaw-dropping 151 runs off just 51 balls in the opening match of Major League Cricket (MLC)—but what really caused jaws to drop were the 19 sixes he sent soaring, shattering long-held T20 records and reminding everyone just how wild this format can get.
Not every knock changes how we think about T20 cricket, but Allen’s onslaught just might. Smashing the previous record of 18 sixes in a T20 innings (once held by Chris Gayle, cricket’s ultimate six-hitter, and matched more recently by Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan), Allen made the boundary ropes feel useless. His reach? Every inch of the park. Five sixes already flew in the opening six overs, hinting at what he had in store for the restless Washington Freedom bowlers. Within 20 balls, Allen was already at fifty—with the scoreboard moving almost as fast as his bat swing.
Breaking Fastest Century and IPL Snubs
By the time Allen snagged his century, only 34 balls had vanished—smashing Nicholas Pooran’s previous MLC-season record, where it took the explosive Trinidadian 40 balls to reach his ton. Nobody watching—at the ground or online—could ignore the relentless pace. Each six felt more audacious, yet Allen never lost focus, picking apart both pace and spin with ruthless consistency.
The New Zealander’s innings didn’t just grab the headlines for its brutality. It stood out for another reason—his journey to this point has been far from smooth sailing. Despite showing glimpses of brilliance at the international level, Allen had failed to find a buyer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions for three straight years. Each snub might sting, but this performance sends a clear message—the man thrives under the big lights, willing to rewrite records while others search for security. For a league hoping to spark cricket’s popularity in the U.S., Allen delivered fireworks on demand, right when it counted most.
Every major record needs context, and Allen’s knock joins an elite club. Chris Gayle rewrote history in the 2013 IPL with 175* off 66 balls and 17 sixes; more recently, Sahil Chauhan reached 18 sixes for Estonia. Neither, though, reached the sheer weight of Allen’s 19. No matter the bowling, no matter the scoreboard pressure, Allen played with a controlled recklessness that had coaches and fans on their feet. The Unicorns rode his wave and soaked up every last run.
For budding T20 hopefuls, Allen’s innings is a reminder: everything can change in 51 balls. Whether it’s about cementing your spot on the world stage, silencing auction-room doubters, or simply putting on a show – Allen covered them all, with enough sixes to cover half the Bay Area. And if his bat keeps swinging like this, the record books better make space for more.
