GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) — Kevin Pietersen backed up a clinical England bowling performance with an unbeaten cameo, to propel his side into the final of the World Twenty20 Championship with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka yesterday.

The right-handed Pieterson, who only returned to the Caribbean on Wednesday evening from England where he witnessed the birth of his first child, hit two sixes and three fours to finish on 42 not out off 26 balls as England overhauled Sri Lanka’s moderate 128 for six off 20 overs.

He brought up England’s victory with a flicked six and an on-driven boundary off successive Lasith Malinga deliveries, to carry England to 132 with four overs to spare.

England were given the perfect start with Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb putting on 68 for the first wicket off just 49 balls.

Kieswetter hit a brisk 39 off 29 balls decorated with five fours and two sixes before his stumps were flattened by a Malinga yorker in the ninth over.

The left handed Lumb was also bowled for 33 off 26 balls as he moved too far across his stumps to a straight ball from Thisara Perera. He struck four fours and one six during his stay and when he fell off the fourth ball of the 10th over, England were 80-2 in the 10th over and well on their way to victory.

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka

M Jayawardene c Kieswetter b Broad 10

S Jayasuriya c Collingwood b Sidebottom 1

T Dilshan c Wright b Bresnan 9

K Sangakkara c Pietersen b Swann 16

A Mathews run out (Collingwood/Kieswetter) 58

C Kapugedera c Bresnan b Broad 16

T Perera not out 7

C Jayasinghe not out 2

Extras (lb1, w7, nb1) 9

Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 128

Did not bat: S Randiv, L Malinga, A Mendis

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Jayasuriya), 2-20 (Dilshan), 3-26 (Jayawardene), 4-47 (Sangakkara), 5-93 (Kapugedera), 6-126 (Mathews)

Bowling: Bresnan 4-0-41-1 (4w); Sidebottom 4-0-24-2 (1w); Broad 4-0-21-2 (1nb, 2w); Swann 4-0-20-1; Yardy 4-0-21-0

England

C Kieswetter b Malinga 39

M Lumb b Perera 33

K Pietersen not out 42

P Collingwood c Sangakkara b Perera 10

E Morgan not out 2

Extras (lb4, w2) 6

Total (3 wkts, 16 overs) 132

Did not bat: L Wright, T Bresnan, M Yardy, G Swann, S Broad, R Sidebottom

Fall of wickets: 1-68 (Kieswetter), 2-80 (Lumb), 3-113 (Collingwood)

Bowling: Dilshan 1-0-5-0; Mendis 4-0-19-0; Randiv 3-0-27-0; Mathews 1-0-10-0; Malinga 4-0-33-1 (2w); Jayasuriya 1-0-15-0; Perera 2-0-19-2

Toss: Sri Lanka

Result: England won by seven wickets

Man-of-the-match: Stuart Broad (ENG)

Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Simon Taufel (AUS)

TV umpire: Steve Davis (AUS)

Match referee: Alan Hurst (AUS)