Pietersen Threatens to Humiliate Australia

England will knock Australia out of the Twenty20 World Cup if they beat them at Newlands tonight and Kevin Pietersen, for one, is salivating at the prospect. It was his daredevil strokeplay which set up a 50-run victory against Zimbabwe yesterday and his mood was just as spontaneous when he joyfully imagined the prospect of Australian humiliation.

"We have a great chance to send Australia home early," he said. "They humiliated us throughout last winter and it would be nice to give them a bit of humiliation in return. You never underestimate Australia. They have world-class players and it doesn't take long to turn things round. But they looked a bit rusty when they lost to Zimbabwe and we have been playing for months and have the upper hand on match practice."

England can also claim to have the edge on strategy. While Australia have rubbished Twenty20, England have wisely searched for a rationale. They have even provided a structure - uninhibited hitting for the first six overs against enforced attacking fields, constant reassessment for nine middle overs, and a final assault over the last five - that gives players a basis from which to innovate.

Australia's most pressing problem is that they daren't play so fast and loose with their own top three - Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting are too precious for that - and, with Shane Watson and Michael Clarke injured, they lost to Zimbabwe on Wednesday, their four fast bowlers not helped by a slow, gripping pitch. Brad Hogg's left-arm wrist spin must surely be employed tonight.

Pietersen's man-of-the-match award yesterday was won with a cavalier 79 from 37 balls with seven fours and four sixes. He revelled in Twenty20's non-judgmental nature. With England 53 for three, one ball of the first six overs remaining and Zimbabwe about to go on the defensive, he dared to swing Tawanda Mupariwa inches over long-on for six. It was an illogical shot, but England had spoken of being fearless and he got away with it.

Even in 50-overs cricket his penchant for the reverse sweep attracts criticism. Only in Twenty20 could he have the licence to play three reverse sweeps in succession, as he did in the 13th over against Keith Dabengwa's medium pace, and see them go for 6-4-4. Those who imagine that the power reverse sweep does not require finesse should try it some time. When he tried it a fourth time, against a full toss from the off-spinner Prosper Utseya, he was caught at deep point. His stand of 100 off 54 balls with Paul Collingwood had reshaped the match.

"It's a silly game and you play silly shots," he shrugged. "I got out to it as well - live by the sword and die by the sword." He averages 133 as an England player in South Africa, which is some sword.

Zimbabwe have been fun. This is a country that presents daily privations, yet a young and innocent side has fielded athletically, bowled purposefully and batted with adventure. Their coach, Robin Brown, suggested that players who had walked out on Zimbabwe are now considering whether to return. One Zimbabwean in Cape Town was harder to locate, however. Brown failed in his efforts to contact his fellow Zimbabwean, Duncan Fletcher, the former England coach, for a bit of a lowdown. "No-one seemed to know his number," he complained.

At 74 for nought in the ninth over Zimbabwe were in the game, Brendan Taylor, the scourge of Australia again promiment, only for the middle overs to fall to England as Dimitri Mascarenhas and Chris Schofield reduced it to 90 for five at the end of the 14th. Mascarenhas nibbled it around for the first three wickets, Schofield's gangly leg-spin took the next two. In 2000 Schofield briefly answered England's craving for their own Shane Warne; four years later he was sacked by Lancashire. The advent of Twenty20 has rescued his career, first with Surrey and now England. Why rubbish that?