Father-to-be Kevin Pietersen delighted with innings, but showers praise on mates

Pietersen delighted with innings as England beat Pakistan

Father-to-be Kevin Pietersen delighted with innings, but showers praise on mates

Ya, wright! England's Kevin Pietersen is congratulated by teammate Luke Wright after their six-wicket win against Pakistan at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown yesterday. Pic/AFP

Pietersen's captain, Paul Collingwood, and Pakistan's coach, Waqar Younis, spoke in glowing terms about the unbeaten 73 which ensured England began their ICC World Twenty 20 Super Eight campaign with an easy win over the champions at Kensington Oval.

But the man himself, who dispelled any concerns about a self-inflicted ankle injury or his possible departure from this tournament because of the impending birth of his first child, was hardly about to get carried away.

Pietersen hit eight fours and two sixes from 52 balls as England passed Pakistan's under-par 147 for nine with three balls to spare. But invited to reflect on his telling contribution, he chose instead to deflect the credit to his teammates.

"Anything can happen in Twenty20. I could get out first ball (against South Africa) on Saturday," he said. "It was nice, a nice wicket to bat on, and the boys bowled well. Then we chased down a real gettable total, which was great."

Pietersen had to have medical attention on the pitch, after suddenly starting to limp on his left leg early in his innings. But he explained: "No concern ufffd I just hit my bat on my ankle. It's bleeding a little bit, but no problem."

There is no panic either yet about his likely dash home, at some point over the next 10 days, to be present at the birth of his baby in London. That life-changing event will not clutter his mind when he is playing.

"If it's after the tournament that the baby comes, it's after the tournament," said the batsman. "If it's during the tournament, I'll still be giving it my best shot whenever I play for England - no matter where or in what situation."

Pietersen is enthused by England's collective batting power. "I've played in the team for five or six years now, and to have a batting line-up like we've got at the moment is incredible," he said. "Every single bloke from one down to nine or 10 can hit sixes. It is good for English cricket."

We're not out yet, says coach Waqar
Pakistan coach Younis, whose team made a poor fist of batting first and then dropped five catches, said: "You must give Kevin Pietersen credit for the way he played. He batted like a champion and took the game away from us.

"It can be frustrating, the way we dropped catches and the way we fielded. But we're not out of the tournament, so we don't really have to worry. I thought 147 was a decent total, maybe 15 runs short, but with our bowling attack, I thought we could have managed it."

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