Kevin Pietersen to return home for his baby even if England plays in semis

Kevin Pietersen wants to prove that he is in his best batting form since he had an operation nine months ago before flying home from the World Twenty20 at the first sign of his baby's birth.

Pietersen's decision to leave the tournament even if England is about to play a semi-final or the final on May 16 has been cleared by the management.

"The baby is due towards the end of the tournament and I will be there, definitely, as quickly as I can. As soon as my wife Jess thinks it is coming, I'm off, regardless of our situation in the tournament," The Sun quoted Pietersen, as saying.

"The only worry is that I won't be back in time for the actual birth but the main thing is I'm making the effort to get home and see the kid as soon as possible.

"We've discussed this and Jess is very comfortable with it. We didn't really think about missing the tournament altogether. I love playing cricket and we understand that it is my job. And the way I am playing at the moment, I want to continue," he said.

Pietersen missed the final three Ashes Tests last summer because of an Achilles heel surgery and struggled for form on his comeback on the winter tour of South Africa.

He returned to his best in Bangladesh and then everything fell into place in his final few matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

"I enjoyed the IPL, it was great to feel like I used to feel. It was the first time since the injury that I've felt that way with the bat," Pietersen said.