Pakistan were left heartbroken as persistent rain washed away their hopes of a historic first-ever win over England in Women’s ODIs, with the ICC Women’s World Cup clash at R Premadasa Stadium ending in a no-result on Wednesday.
Pakistan were cruising at 34 for no loss in 6.4 overs, chasing a revised target of 113 from 31 overs (DLS), when rain returned, forcing the umpires to call off the match. The two teams shared points — a result that dents Pakistan’s chances of a semifinal berth, marking their third washout of the tournament.
Earlier, Fatima Sana delivered a spell to remember, claiming 4 for 27 in a devastating opening burst that rattled England’s top order and restricted them to 133 for 9 in 31 overs in a rain-curtailed innings.
After Pakistan captain Fatima Sana won the toss and opted to field under overcast skies, she led by example with the new ball, extracting swing and seam movement to dismantle the English top order.
The right-arm seamer dismissed Amy Jones, Heather Knight, and Nat Sciver-Brunt in her first spell, after Diana Baig had earlier cleaned up Tammy Beaumont, leaving England reeling at 39 for 4 after 6.4 overs.
There was brief resistance from Emma Lamb and Sophia Dunkley, who added 15 runs for the fifth wicket, but Sadia Iqbal (2/16) soon struck twice — bowling Lamb with a quicker arm ball before trapping Dunkley lbw — as England slipped further to 79 for 7 after 25 overs.
Heavy rain halted play for nearly three hours, leading to a reduction in overs — both sides were allotted 31 overs once conditions improved. Resuming at 79 for 7, Charlie Dean (33) and Emily Arlott (run out 21) stitched together a vital 46-run eighth-wicket stand to push England past the 130-mark. Dean fell in the final over, chipping a delivery to short fine leg, as England scored 8 runs in the last over to finish at 133 for 9.
With England having lost nine wickets before the rain break, the DLS method revised Pakistan’s target to 113, factoring in the reduced “resources” available to the batting side.
When play resumed, Muneeba Ali (9 not out) and Omaima Sohail (19 not out) gave Pakistan a solid start before the skies opened up again.
For Pakistan, the shared points bring little comfort — this marks their third abandoned match of the tournament, leaving their semifinal hopes hanging by a thread as they head into must-win matches in the remaining league stage.
Brief scores:
England 133/9 in 31 overs (Charlie Dean 33, Heather Knight 18; Fatima Sana 4/27, Sadia Iqbal 2/16)
Pakistan 34/0 in 6.4 overs (Muneeba Ali 9*, Omaima Sohail 19*). Match ends in no result
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