Pakistan’s chances of a huge win against England were dashed when rain ruined the Women’s Cricket World Cup match in Colombo.
It was a huge disappointment for England, who were having difficulties with the bat and ball, but it was even more heartbreaking for Pakistan, who were still waiting for their first win in the tournament.
England were 79-7 down after 25 overs before pouring rain caused a four-hour delay in play, reducing the match to 31 overs per side.
But Charlie Dean (33) and Em Arlott (18) combined to add 47 runs for England’s eighth wicket, setting their opponents a reduced target of 113 runs through DLS.
Just when it looked like Pakistan would win 33-0 through Muneba Ali (9no) and Omaima Sohail (19no) in 6 overs, rain started pouring down once again, robbing Pakistan of the chance to win.
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Pakistan got off to a strong start as they tore through England’s top order.
The points move Sciver-Brunt’s side seven points level with Australia at the top of the table. Australia are back in action live against Bangladesh on Thursday. sky sportsFrom 10:30 am.
It brought an end to England’s 100% record after they beat South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Pakistan played a superb bowling performance and finally got a point after losing to Bangladesh, India and Australia.
It was also the third time it rained in this tournament, following Australia vs. Sri Lanka and New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka. The game was also held in Colombo.
England batsmen collapsed as Pakistan denied them a chance to win
It was a forgettable innings for England after they gave up the bat to Pakistan, falling to 79-7 after just 25 overs before the rain started to fall.
Pakistan made an early impact in the second over as Tammy Beaumont (4) fell first and shouldered a delivery that skipped bail. Her fellow opener Amy Jones (8) quickly followed with three overs and the jaffa of Fatima Sana (3-19) did the work.
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Rameen Shamim got relief by sacking Alice Capsey after dropping a catch early in the game.
It looked like England might recover once Nat Sciver-Brunt (4) and Heather Knight (18) settled in, but those hopes were short-lived and palpable until the end of the seventh over. First, the England skipper fell for the beauty of a Fatima nipbacker in a captain-versus-captain battle, while former England leader Knight also came on in the same over but was put through lbw as England floundered at 39-4.
The wickets didn’t stop there, with Emma Lamb (4), Sophia Dunkley (11) and eventually Alice Capsey (16) having to walk as England toiled away before the rain set in.
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As part of Inspiring Generations, England cricketer Davina Perrin talks about her journey in cricket, the need to improve diversity in sport and how she wants to be a role model for the next generation of girls. Video Credit ECB
After a delay of almost four hours and six overs, trying to get the score as high as possible, Dean and Arlott went on the offensive to add 47 runs in England’s strongest stand. Linsey Smith (4no) and Sarah Glenn (3no) came into the final over to help England reach 133-9 and ultimately set Pakistan at the DLS reduction target of 113.
England tried to keep Pakistan quiet by handing Sciver-Brunt and Smith the new ball, but although Ali and Sohail left their mark in the powerplay as they jumped to 33-0 in six overs, their plan did not work as spinner Dean tightened things with a maiden.
But while conditions were once again improving in Pakistan, it took just four deliveries for the cover to come back.
This ended Pakistan’s hopes of two points and saw England potentially end up with one point more than they would have had had there been no weather interference.
Sciver-Brunt: England weren’t good enough | Fatima: We could have beaten England
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Nat Sciver-Brunt admits England did not do enough against Pakistan.
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt:
“I thought Pakistan bowled well and made it really difficult for us to get into the game.
“After the rain, we played well to give ourselves a chance, but today wasn’t very good, it wasn’t good enough. We’ll take our hands.”
“I don’t think we adapted as well as we could when there was a lot of seaming.
“Everyone is practicing really well and going through their own process, but it’s about applying it to the game.”
Pakistan Captain Fatima Sana:
“Today was a day where we could have beaten them, but (the weather) wasn’t in our favor.”
“I knew it was a good pitch for fast bowlers so I just tried to bowl long and attack the stumps. It would be nice to win the match!
“We have bowled well in the last few games so hopefully we can do well with the bat in the next games.”
England World Cup Results and Schedule
In the UK and Ireland, all matches are always shown live on Sky Sports.
- Compared to South Africa: Friday, October 3 – England won by 10 wickets 🔵
- vs Bangladesh: Tuesday, October 7 – England won by 4 wickets 🔵
- vs Sri Lanka: Saturday, October 11 – England won by 89 runs 🔵
- vs Pakistan: Wednesday, October 15 -No results due to rain
- vs india: Sunday, October 19 (10:30 AM)
- vs. Australia: Wednesday, October 22 (10:30 a.m.)
- vs. New Zealand: Sunday, October 26 (5:30 a.m.)
Watch the Women’s Cricket World Cup live in full on Sky Sports Cricket until the final on Sunday 2 November. Stream cricket, soccer, golf and more with NOW without a contract.
