Pietersen granted paternity leave

Pietersen is expected to be available for the start of the tournament

Kevin Pietersen could miss vital games in the closing stages of the ICC World Twenty20 in mid-May if wife Jessica gives birth to their baby on time.

The England batsman indicated before Christmas that he would not consider missing the birth of their first child.

And national selector Geoff Miller confirmed: "I'm a great advocator of people being solid family-wise, so I've no problem with that.

"Nobody dictates when [the birth] will be, so we'll play it by ear."

Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff, Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior have ensured in recent years there is ample precedent for family coming first in such circumstances - and Miller confirmed he and Pietersen had already discussed the situation.

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England's most effective batsman in the shortest format, Pietersen is likely to travel to the Caribbean for the start of the tournament and fly back when required.

However, under ICC tournament rules, England will not be permitted to replace him in their 15-man squad, which may reduce their options when it comes to selecting the personnel for the trip.

An initial squad of 30 was named on Monday, with Paul Collingwood captain and Alastair Cook not selected. The tournament starts on 30 April with the final on 16 May. England are in a group with West Indies and Ireland.

Were his wife to give birth as scheduled in the middle of May, Pietersen might have to pull out before the semi-finals, though England have not reached that stage of a World Cup in 50-over or 20-over cricket since 1992.

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