England narrowly escaped a shock as their Women’s World Cup clash against Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo was abandoned due to rain on Wednesday.
Pakistan came agonizingly close to recording their first-ever ODI win over England in 16 meetings since 1997, but weather intervened before a result could be achieved. Despite the washout, Pakistan earned a point, leaving them at the bottom of the table with a net run rate of -1.887. England reclaimed the top spot with a net run rate of +1.864, edging past Australia (1.353), but their inconsistent batting remains a concern ahead of Sunday’s clash against India in Indore.
Fatima Sana leads Pakistan’s charge
Pakistan’s bowlers dominated England’s innings before rain intervened. Diana Baig struck early by dismissing Tammy Beaumont, but Fatima Sana stole the show, removing Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and former England captain Heather Knight. England slipped to 39 for four in 6.4 overs. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal dismissed Sophia Dunkley and Emma Lamb, while Rameen Shamim sent back Alice Capsey.
At 79 for seven in 25 overs, heavy rain halted play. When action resumed at 8:30 PM, Charlie Dean (33) and Emily Arlott (18) added a 47-run stand for the eighth wicket in 41 balls, helping England reach 133 in 31 overs. Arlott’s run-out ended the partnership, and Fatima Sana claimed Dean’s wicket as well, finishing with impressive figures of 6-1-27-4. Nashra Sandhu bowled tightly, conceding just 12 runs in seven overs.
Rain robs Pakistan of a historic win
Chasing a revised target of 113 in 31 overs, Pakistan looked in complete control. Muneeba Ali (9*) started confidently with a boundary, and Omaima Sohail (19*) followed with fluent strokeplay, including two boundaries off Lauren Smith. By the seventh over, Pakistan was 33 without loss and well-positioned with all wickets in hand.
However, rain returned in the seventh over and eventually forced the match to be abandoned around 9:56 PM. With 78 runs needed from 24.2 overs and all ten wickets intact, Pakistan were on the verge of a historic victory, only to be denied by the weather.
Comments are closed.