Quickfire Pietersen boosts England

The Hampshire batsman hit a brilliant 79 off 37 balls to help England reach a commanding 188 for nine after slipping to 20 for two against the same Zimbabwe side who shocked the tournament by beating Australia the previous evening.

Pietersen hit seven fours and four sixes and shared a crucial 100-run stand with captain Paul Collingwood off only 53 balls to put England into a strong position as they seek a commanding victory to boost their run-rate and increase their chances of qualifying to the next round should they lose the match to Australia.

England struggled during the early overs of fielding restrictions and lost opener Darren Maddy in the third over when he was caught at mid-off for 14 and Luke Wright followed next ball when he attempted to drive a wide delivery from seamer Elton Chigumbura and edged behind.

Pietersen blocked the hat-trick ball and lost Matt Prior, caught at long on just two balls after hitting his first six to help him score 14 off 20 balls, three overs later.

But he found a willing partner in Collingwood and the pair ensured England reached a commanding total with a thrilling stand dominated by Pietersen's first ever Twenty20 half-century.

He brought up his half-century off only 27 balls but missed out on becoming the first England batsman to hit a Twenty20 hundred when he was caught on the boundary attempting a reverse pull.

Pietersen was followed four balls later by Collingwood, run out for 36 off 27 balls pushing for a second run, leaving England on a promising 153 for five with five overs remaining.

Instead of building on that promising foundation, however, they suffered a middle order collapse by losing four wickets in the next two overs.

Andrew Flintoff, who passed a fitness test on his troublesome left ankle to play, hit one six in his 13 before being bowled by seamer Chamunorwa Chibabha and Chigumbura cleaned up with two more wickets to dismiss Owais Shah and Dimitri Mascarenhas to claim four for 31.