England should thank imports for reaching T20 World Cup finals

Sydney, May 15 (ANI): England must thank South Africa born Kevin Pietersen and Irish Eoin Morgan for giving the team their best chance of winning their first World Cup.

England has never won an ICC event, but has reached the finals of the World Twenty20 in Barbados with the help of these two players.

England has qualified for the first time since 2004 for a final. Six years ago they were defeated by the West Indies in the Champions Trophy final on home soil, and they have repeatedly failed in World Cups, World Twenty20s and Champions Trophy tournaments since 1975.

Pietersen has been phenomenal so far, striking 201 runs at 67.00, the best average of any of the 19 batsmen to have scored more than 100 runs in the tournament, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Before the second semi-final between Australia and Pakistan, Pietersen was third and Morgan sixth in the tournament's leading run-scorers list, while another South African-turned-English player, Craig Kieswetter, was seventh.

Morgan's 168 runs at 33.60 has proved vital for England. He was the rock of their innings in the first match against the West Indies (55), then saved them from disaster with 45 against Ireland, and his team-high 40 was enough to eliminate New Zealand from the Super Eight stage.

He is the only player to have scored ODI centuries for two countries (Ireland and England). (ANI)