Strauss sees England home

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Facing a Duckworth/Lewis target of 135 from 20 overs after steady rain had delayed England's reply by nearly two hours, the tourists completed a nine-wicket victory with nine balls remaining with former captain Pietersen sat without pads watching on the players' balcony.

Their triumph, achieved with minimal input from their star batsman, sets up a series decider in St Lucia next Friday just when their troubled winter seemed set to end in another disappointment.

Humiliated in the Stanford match, beaten in the one-day and Test series in India, England surprisingly lost the Test series in the Caribbean and were trailing 2-1 in the one-day series following a humbling eight-wicket defeat at the Kensington Oval on Friday.

But they bounced back impressively to restrict West Indies to 239 for nine and after rain reduced their target, captain Andrew Strauss guided the side home with an unbeaten 79 off 61 balls, including nine fours and one six.

For long periods of the match it appeared that England would again finish frustrated, particularly when former captain Pietersen was forced off the field after only five balls of his only over and failed to re-appear.

His injury comes just days after he admitted being "at the end of my tether" while the England and Wales Cricket Board admitted today they had refused a request from him earlier on the tour to go home for 48 hours between the third Test in Antigua and the fourth Test in Barbados.

He was also criticised by West Indies captain Chris Gayle for claiming Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was facing when he was forced to abandon his over, "only bats for himself" and "never fields, there's always an injury or something."

The irony of the situation may not have been lost on Pietersen as he limped off the field and missed England's most impressive bowling display of the series so far to prevent West Indies reaching another commanding total.