England’s hopes of securing a crucial victory against Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World Cup faced an unexpected disruption due to rain in Colombo. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt led her squad into this final with absolute potential. The game ended in abandonment, leaving both sides with unanswered questions.
In case you need a reminder, in that semifinal match on March 20, England was struggling at 133 for nine wickets after 31 overs. Charlie Dean was the one to shine though, with the England player scoring 33 runs. Orchard was just the start of it, as Em Arlott played a crucial knock of 38 to make the total score respectable. Despite all their toil, England found it difficult to take control against an aggressive Pakistan team.
The weather played a monumental role in the match. Unfortunately, a lengthy rain delay made them all too quickly exit the field. Following the disruption, officials called off the game. Pakistan were set a revised target of 113 runs, but were unable to meet the target after persistent rain interruptions.
Pakistan was off to a strong start in their pursuit, reaching 34 runs without any wickets lost before the rain came. But for much of the game, England was still dealing with issues that made their batting display questionable. It marked England’s second scare with the bat in the tournament. It created uncertainty about their soundness as they prepare for True/False Friday and Saturday.
“I think we were outmatched by Pakistan,” remarked Sciver-Brunt after the match. “Pakistan bowled brilliantly. Diana Baig and Fatima Sana took away every bit of momentum that we had to even get into the game.
As England continue to plan for the future, their next steps will be a tour of Indore to take on powerhouses India and Australia. Their final match of the group stage will be against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam. They are under the political gun to improve their outcomes. Their aspiration is to reach the tournament’s knockout stages.
The other big blow to England’s bowling resources came from illness. That left some key players like Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell on the outside of the playing XI as a result. This change probably had an effect on their performance. They next meet a faltering Pakistan side that has not yet won a game in the tournament.
Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana said this. “They are very aware of the conditions. We’d always understood that this was kind of a money pitch for pacers. I saw a lot of performances before on this track so knew this pitch was good for fast bowlers so tried to bowl on a good length,” she explained.
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