Rain washes out England vs Pakistan clash - Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025

It was heartbreak for Pakistan as rain forced their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 clash against England to be abandoned at the R Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday.

Pakistan were in a strong position to win the contest, having reduced England to 79/7 and later 133/9 at the end of the innings once play resumed.

Rain had interrupted the first innings, reducing the contest to 31 overs per side after the Pakistan cricket team had won the toss and opted to bowl.

England posted 133/9 and under the DLS method, Pakistan were set a target of 113. The chase began steadily with Pakistan reaching 34/0 in just under seven overs before rain returned. Continuous downpour eventually led to the match being called off.

The result sees the England cricket team move to the top of the World Cup points table with seven points from four games, level with Australia. Pakistan, on the other hand, remain at the bottom but finally opened their account with their first point of the Women’s Cricket World Cup.

In the first innings, England found themselves seven wickets down after 25 overs with Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Fatima Sana (4/27), dominating the early part of the innings.

Sana’s impressive spell was the key to England’s collapse while Sadia Iqbal (2/16) picked up two crucial wickets. Diana Baig and Rameen Shamim also contributed to keep the pressure on.

After the rain break, England managed to recover slightly thanks to a 47-run stand for the ninth wicket between Charlie Dean and Emily Arlott. Their partnership helped England reach a total of 133 despite the duo losing their wickets.

Diana Baig set the tone early by cleaning up Tammy Beaumont in just the second over before Fatima Sana added to the pressure by bowling Amy Jones with a delivery that sneaked through the gap between bat and pad.

Fatima Sana continued her fiery spell, striking twice in the same over to remove England captain Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight. Sciver-Brunt was bowled via an inside edge while attempting to guide the ball down to third man and Knight fell soon after being trapped LBW by a sharp inswinger.

Sadia Iqbal then joined the act, further deepening England’s troubles. She bowled Emma Lamb with a peach that turned away just enough to rattle the timber, leaving England with half their side down and in the following over, got the wicket of Sophie Dunkley after a successful review.

Dunkley attempted a sweep to a fullish delivery but was struck on the pad. The review confirmed there was no bat or glove involved and Ball Tracker showed all three reds, sending her back to the pavilion. Rameen Shamim joined the party next, trapping Alice Capsey LBW as the batter missed her sweep.

Pakistan, still bottom of the table, face New Zealand in their next challenge on October 18 while table-toppers England resume their campaign with a high-stakes clash against India on October 19.

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