Published: Oct 24, 2012, 10:31 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 24, 2012, 10:31 PM (IST)
Delhi Daredevils batsman Kevin Pietersen has managed just 14 and nine runs in two of the four pool matches © Getty Images
Centurion: Oct 24, 2012
There was more Champions League Twenty20 disappointment for recalled England batsman Kevin Pietersen Tuesday when the final group game was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled.
The wash-out between local team Titans and Delhi Daredevils means the Indian Premier League (IPL) side top Group A and travel to Durban for a Thursday semi-final against another South African side, Highveld Lions.
Rain has forced two of Daredevils’ four pool matches to be abandoned without any play and Pietersen managed just 14 and nine runs respectively against fellow IPL outfit Kolkata Knight Riders and Perth Scorchers.
The controversial South Africa-born 32-year-old batsman was hoping for a lot more time in the middle before joining the England squad for a tour of India next month.
Pietersen was given the boot by England two months ago after he sent text messages to South African opponents during a three-Test series in which he criticised teammates, including then skipper Andrew Strauss.
He missed the World Twenty20 championship in Sri Lanka, where England surrendered the title, working as a commentator for a United States-based network instead.
England and Pietersen mended relations before the 10-franchise group stage of the Champions Trophy began and the batsman would have hoped for much more than 23 runs off 27 deliveries by the end of the mini-league phase.
The other semi-final features Sydney Sixers and Titans at SuperSport Park in Centurion Friday with the final slated for the Wanderers in Johannesburg two days later.
Among the teams eliminated after the first round were IPL franchises Kolkata, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, with Auckland, Perth and Yorkshire also falling by the wayside. (AFP)
