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NEWS ICC Champions Trophy 2006> Flintoff all praise for Pietersen 29th Oct 2006  14.20 IST By Agencies   England captain Andrew Flintoff attributed his side's thrilling three-wicket win over West Indies to a classy unbeaten knock from Kevin Pietersen and said that the success would help his side "develop" ahead of the coming battles including the Ashes. "It was an important game for the team. West Indies were the in-form side. We wanted somebody to take the responsibility and win the game for us. And Kevin did it with class," Flintoff said at the post-match media meet in Ahmedabad on Saturday. "Pietersen was fantastic. He steadied the ship after we had a bit of a wobble in the middle. He paced the innings well," Flintoff said after England won a consolation victory in the Champions Trophy after having gone out of reckoning following back-to-back losses in the first two games. "He is a fine player. And if he continues to bat like this, the team will be stronger," he said. Flintoff said that the draw also helped his team salvage some pride after their pathetic show in the earlier matches. "The team's pride was at stake today. We have done well to win". Flintoff was happy to end the tournament on a positive note. "We lost the first two matches. But today we came together and performed," he said. "John (Lewis) was fantastic in the bowling. And (Kevin) Pietersen was outstanding. We were confident of reaching the target because the pitch was good. We just wanted a good start, which we got and then Pietersen backed it up. "We lost few wickets in the middle and then we needed to bat steadily. It was a good effort in the end." Also View In-Depth Coverage: ICC Champions Trophy 2006 Team Page: England Team Page: West Indies

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