Skipper Paul Collingwood makes it clear their World Twenty20 win over Australia should be considered as one of England's biggest achievements

T20 win as big as Ashes victories: England skipper Collingwood

Skipper Paul Collingwood makes it clear their World Twenty20 win over Australia should be considered as one of England's biggest achievements

Australia skipper Michael Clarke (right) looks on as players rush to congratulate Paul Collingwood (third from right) after England won the World Twenty20 title yesterday. PIC/AFP

England overpowered an Australia side previously unbeaten at the tournament by seven wickets, winning with three overs to spare as they claimed their first major limited overs international trophy in style at the Kensington Oval yesterday.

Their bowlers restricted Australia to 147 for six and then, thanks mainly to a second wicket stand of 111 between South Africa born duo Craig Kieswetter, the-man-of-the-match, who made 63 and Kevin Pietersen, the man of the tournament, who struck 47, they finished on 151 for three.

Collingwood, leading the team because Test captain Andrew Strauss has opted out of Twenty20 cricket, was a member of the England sides that won the 2005 and 2009 Ashes series.

And, having hit the winning runs on Sunday, he was in no doubt about the importance of this victory which ended a run of four defeats in major finals for England (the 1979, 1987 and 1992 World Cups and the 2004 Champions Trophy).

"It's right up there, it's got to be," he said at the presentation ceremony. This is the first World Cup we've ever won and the boys deserve it.

England's previous Twenty20 record did little to suggest they would triumph in the Caribbean but the advent of a fast-scoring opening pair in Kieswetter and Michael Lumb, who both made their international debuts in this format at the tournament, made a key difference.

"We've got some good players in the side, the work ethic we've had over the past year and we're starting to see the results on the pitch," Collingwood said.

"There's a lot of confidence in the side; you can see the belief that we've got going out on the pitch. The power that we've got, the thought processes the bowlers are using, the fielding, everything seems to be stronger."

England, after Collingwood won the toss, reduced Australia to eight for three with left-arm quick Ryan Sidebottom taking two wickets.

But having seen the way Australia recovered from a top-order collapse to chase down 192 against defending champions Pakistan in a thrilling semi-final, Collingwood refused to get carried away too soon.

"No chance. Not with what they did against Pakistan the other day.

"Obviously if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best and it was a great performance.

"When we got those three early wickets we gave ourselves a great opportunity to put them under pressure."

Pietersen, who scored 248 runs during the tournament at an average of 62 despite missing a match to complete an 8,000 mile round trip to attend the birth of his first child, said: "I had a little kid on Monday and this (man-of-the-tournament) trophy here. But this trophy goes to all the lads."

Australia captain Michael Clarke was left lamenting his side's failure to get enough runs on the board in an innings where only David Hussey (59) and Cameron White (30) made more than 29.

"I don't think we scored enough runs," said Clarke. "I think you've got to give credit to England, they outplayed us today."

For Australia, like England, this was a first World Twenty20 final and Clarke added: "Australia in Twenty20 are only going forward. We tried our best, we just got outplayed today."

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