Pietersen seals England victory
Kevin Pietersen returned to form with a confident 52-ball 70 not out, as England's powerful new batting line-up capitalised on a spirited display from their bowlers to ease along to a comfortable six-wicket victory
Kevin Pietersen returned to form with a confident 52-ball 70 not out, as England's powerful new batting line-up capitalised on a spirited display from their bowlers to ease along to a comfortable six-wicket victory
Pakistan have been flattened by a great innings from Pietersen. He was authoritative from the start, hitting the ball very hard, collecting boundaries from bad balls and working the good ones away for singles and twos. Pakistan were a disappointment in the field after scrapping their way to 147, dropping easy chances and missing what should have been a simple run out in the penultimate over. They are not down and out yet, but they will need to search for some inspiration in their remaining games.
Lots of you have questioned Afridi's tactics in this game, particularly his rotation of the bowlers in the middle overs. Indeed, what Pakistan really needed was for their spinners to get some rhythm with a good spell in the middle, as England's did, to keep the runs down as England chased a modest target. It is also unclear what Fawad Alam's role in the side is, as he bats at No. 8 and doesn't bowl.
"You can't afford to miss opportunities," says Afridi, "had we taken the opportunities the match could have turned out differently."
"Let's not get too carried away, but we're delighted with the win and to get some points on the board," says Collingwood. "There are a few areas to improve on, we were a bit sloppy at the end, but I was pleased with how we took the momentum back in the middle of Pakistan's innings."
Kevin Pietersen gets the Man of the Match award. "The ankle's fine," he says. "It's not an easy wicket but our boys bowled really well on it. We need one more victory and hopefully we can get to a semi-final." On Twenty20 cricket: "The more you play, the better you get. Twenty20 cricket is serious business now."
That's all for today from your commentary team, Sahil Dutta and Liam Brickhill. Andrew Miller's bulletin is up, so do check that out for an incisive and indepth look at today's game. South Africa take on New Zealand in the second game of the day, so stay with Cricinfo for full coverage of what should be a thrilling encounter, with both sides looking to build momentum in the Super Eights stage.
It's difficult to know quite how good England were in the opening Super Eight game because Pakistan were so poor, but there is no doubt they are a vastly improving Twenty20 team
Kevin Pietersen could be leaving this tournament at any moment should his wife go into labour, and in the form he showed against Pakistan it will be a considerable hole to fill if he is absent
Kevin Pietersen returned to form with a confident 52-ball 70 not out, as England's powerful new batting line-up capitalised on a spirited display from their bowlers to ease along to a comfortable six-wicket victory
Group A | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
AUS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1.525 |
PAK | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -0.325 |
BAN | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -1.2 |
Group B | |||||
Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
NZ | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0.428 |
SL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.355 |
ZIM | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -1.595 |
Group C | |||||
Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
IND | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1.495 |
SA | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.125 |
AFG | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -2.446 |
Group D | |||||
Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
WI | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2.78 |
ENG | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -0.452 |
IRE | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3.5 |
Group E | |||||
Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
ENG | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0.962 |
PAK | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0.041 |
NZ | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -0.373 |
SA | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -0.617 |
Group F | |||||
Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
AUS | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2.733 |
SL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -0.333 |
WI | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1.281 |
IND | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -1.117 |