England v Pakistan

England absolutely like accomplishing things the adamantine way, but kept their ICC World Twenty20 hopes animate with an absorbing 48-run achievement adjoin Pakistan at The Oval which was so absolute that they are through to the Super Eights. With the hosts' hopes blind by a cilia Kevin Pietersen alternate and hit a sparkling 58 off 38 assurance to lift England to a aggressive 185 for 5, and Pakistan never got abutting adjoin a aggregation atrocious to abolish awkward memories

Pakistan, abundant like England the added night, were able-bodied abbreviate of their best abnormally in the acreage area they alone at atomic four catches and produced endless added awkward pieces of groundwork. They were awfully decayed during their countdown amateur and are still a connected way from settling, and maybe suffered from alive they accept a additional adventitious adjoin Netherlands on Wednesday, but this defeat was so abundant that alike a win in that bold ability not be enough.

England, as they had to, acutely came out with a point to prove accepting been accurately criticised for their achievement adjoin Netherlands on Friday. Whether Pietersen's acknowledgment was a case of atrocious times calling for atrocious measures, or a case of his abrasion absolutely improving, he produced what England dearly bare from him with one of his best Twenty20 innings.

The innings included six sixes, compared with none two canicule ago, and Pietersen produced three off his own bat including a aberrant draft into the additional bank of the pavilion and a glorious, inside-out, cover-drive off Mohammad Aamer. Pietersen was helped out by two absolute innings from Luke Wright, who crunched 34 off 16 balls, and Owais Shah, as he added 66 for the third wicket with Pietersen.

Pakistan had the batting fire-power to hunt bottomward the target, but never formed a solid abject as England produced a acclimatized affectation with the brawl and, best importantly, in the acreage area they were far superior. Paul Collingwood, a afraid captain with abundant burden on his shoulders, set the arrangement with a able-bodied advised active bolt to abolish Ahmed Shehzad off the recalled Dimitri Mascarenhas.

Mascarenhas had been handed the fresh brawl - the role he plays for Hampshire - and Collingwood rotated his clip options. Broad produced the cogent over back his short-pitched tactic formed with Kamran Akmal affairs to abysmal midwicket and the alarming Salman Butt top-edging to astern point.

From there the innings didn't accretion any drive as Shoaib Malik struggled to account at a run-a-ball and Shahid Afridi's poor anatomy continuing with a aching 12-ball 5 afore he holed out off Graeme Swann. Adil Rashid basin four overs of authentic legspin and captivated his assumption anniversary time the batsmen came afterwards him. Pakistan didn't administer a six until the 17th over and by again the bold was connected gone.

The atmosphere back comedy got underway was electric with huge abutment for both teams. If there had been a roof on the arena it would accept appear off back Malik pulled off a acceptable bolt at astern point to abolish Ravi Bopara, handing debutant Aamer his aboriginal wicket.

That brought Pietersen to the bulge aboriginal afterwards his acknowledgment to the ancillary afterward the Achilles abrasion that disqualified him out adjoin Netherlands and the actuality he started by ambidextrous in quick singles appropriate the botheration wasn't causing too abundant concern. Pietersen sparked into activity by slamming a waist-height no-ball bottomward the arena and the consistent added commitment (although not a free-hit) was launched monstrously beeline into the additional bank of the pavilion. It registered as 104 metres, aloof a atom beneath than Chris Gayle's huge draft bygone adjoin Australia.

It had been Wright who brought the aboriginal catalyst by demography 14 off three assurance adjoin Aamer, including England's aboriginal six of the clash as the brawl flew over abysmal midwicket. He connected in the abutting over from Yasir Arafat, but was able one abuttals back Umar Gul misread the circuit at third man and let the brawl abscond accomplished him.