Kevin Pietersen hit an unbeaten 53 to steer England to an unconvincing six-wicket win over Scotland with six balls remaining at Trent Bridge on Tuesday in a World Twenty20 warm-up.
The Scots batted first with Kyle Coetzer making 34 and Craig Smith hitting 45 to help their team to 136-5 off their 20 overs.
Pietersen finished the match in style with his second six with recent former Ireland international turned England convert Eoin Morgan not out on 23.
PHOTO: AFP
It was a gallant display from a Scottish side who, the day before, had been rocked by a bitter fall-out between skipper Gavin Hamilton and pace bowler John Blain, an argument that prompted the seamer to withdraw from the tournament.
“Blainy and I had a big fall-out,” Hamilton said.
“He was only with us one day so we can’t say we miss him. We’ve still got to discuss this but I’m not going to discuss it with him during this tournament, I’ve got enough on my plate. We’ve got 14 guys who I think are very much behind me and the John Blain thing will be dealt with after,” he said.
PHOTO: AFP
Meanwhile, England skipper Paul Collingwood was delighted to see Pietersen in the runs after shaking off an Achilles injury which ruled him out of the recent one-day series with the West Indies.
“He’s raring to go,” Collingwood said. “He’s had a few weeks off through injury. He’s got the buzz about him and a big smile on his face.”
England get the World Twenty20 underway with a game against the Netherlands at Lord’s tomorrow.
■PONTING STARS IN WIN
AFP, LONDON
Ricky Ponting played a captain’s innings of 56 as Australia beat New Zealand by seven wickets in their ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match at the Oval on Tuesday.
Australia, chasing 148 to win, wobbled at 26 for two after James Franklin struck twice in his first over.
But an expertly paced stand of 104 between Ponting and Michael Clarke, unbeaten on 49, helped Australia to victory with four balls to spare as they made it two wins out of two following Monday’s defeat of Bangladesh.
Earlier, left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson took four wickets as Australia restricted New Zealand to 147 all out.
New Zealand lost opening batsmen Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder for a duck apiece and collapsed to 21 for five inside six overs before a stand of 71 between Scott Styris (42) and Peter McGlashan (49) revived the innings.
Johnson finished with four for 20 from four overs.
Australia saw Franklin remove Shane Watson and the big-hitting David Warner.
But Ponting, playing some typically stylish shots, steadied the ship and lofted Daniel Vettori for six before meting out the same treatment to Styris.
Ponting went to fifty in 34 balls, including four fours to go with his pair of sixes.
But in sight of victory, he was caught by Jacob Oram off Vettori.
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