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Summary
England 132 for 3 (Pietersen 42*) Sri Lanka 128 for 6 (Mathews 58, Broad 2-21)England win by 7 wicketsEngland have qualified for the finals by defeating Sri Lanka in the semifinals by seven wickets. England would face either Pakistan or Australia or Pakistan in the final to be played on Sunday.Kevin Pietersen marked the birth of his first son by steering England into the final of the ICC World Twenty20, as he continued his imposing run of form with an unbeaten 42 from 26 balls in a comprehensive seven-wicket victory. Back in the side after his paternity dash back to England, Pietersen built on the hard-hitting efforts of Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb, who added 68 for the first wicket in eight overs, as Sri Lanka's sub-par total of 128 for 6 was hunted down with four overs to spare.It was yet another supremely composed performance from England, who have shed the diffidence they have habitually shown in this format, and powered their way past the beaten finalists in the 2009 tournament in unquestionably their most domineering performance of the competition to date.After losing the toss and being asked to bowl first, England's seamers and spinners throttled a dangerous Sri Lankan line-up in a wholehearted display, then cruised to their target without blinking. Though Sri Lanka recovered from 47 for 4 after nine overs thanks to the calm accumulation of Angelo Mathews, who made 58 from 45 balls, their final total was at least 20 runs short of a competitive total.With rain in the air, and a tacky surface underfoot, Sri Lanka's decision to bat first proved, in hindsight, to have been a mistake. The conditions offered movement for the seamers and purchase for the spinners, and though Mahela Jayawardene began with intent by clipping a first-ball loosener from Tim Bresnan for four, that was arguably the last moment that Sri Lanka were in command of the contest.
