Kevin Pietersen has named three England stars in his T20 World Cup team of the tournament after they beat Pakistan by five wickets in an enthralling final.
Pietersen, who was named player of the tournament when England last lifted the trophy in 2010, opted for an opening partnership of Jos Buttler and Alex Hales. The pair were England's leading run scorers and shared crucial partnerships in must-win games against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and India.
Pietersen described Hales as a "match-winner", praising his "three vital knocks" in those must-win games and also lauded Buttler's captaincy, telling Betway: "Buttler had some massive shoes to fill after Eoin Morgan retired from international cricket but proved himself as a captain in this tournament."
Sam Curran was the third and final England star to make Pietersen's team, having picked up 13 wickets at an average of just 11.38. "What a rise it's been for Curran," Pietersen said.
"He's gone from England part-timer to Player of the Tournament at a World Cup, and will be a key player for this team as they look to defend their white-ball crowns."
India batters Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav also made the cut, with Pietersen describing Kohli's return to form as "one of the highlights of the tournament" and Yadav as "one of the best white-ball batters around at the moment".
New Zealand's Glenn Phillips slotted in at number five, having scored 201 runs at 40.20 including a century against Sri Lanka which Pietersen called "one of the best innings of the World Cup".
He also selected Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza, Pakistan star Shadab Khan and Sri Lanka star Wanindu Hasaranga as his spinners, while South Africa quick Anrich Nortje and Shaheen Shah Afridi finished off the pace attack.
Hasaranga finished as the tournament's leading wicket taker for a second consecutive year, something Pietersen labelled "an incredible achievement", while Nortje was described as "an elite bowler across all formats of the game".
