One of the only two unbeaten sides of the tournament, England, led by skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt, were up against Pakistan, led by skipper Fatima Sana, in the 16th game of the ongoing edition of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 in Colombo.
Both sides made a couple of changes to their side. England rested Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone, opening up a slot for the inclusion of Emily Arlott and the leg-spinner Sarah Glenn. Omaima Sohail replaced Sadaf Shamas, and Aliya Riaz replaced Eyman Fatima in the starting 11 for Pakistan.
Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal run through the English top-order
Skipper Fatima Sana led from the front with remarkable discipline and consistency in line and length for her side as she won the toss and opted to field first. The bowlers delivered a dreamy opening spell as England were reduced to 57/6 in the 12th over of the innings. Pakistan were all over England when Charlie Dean joined Alice Capsey at the crease.
The duo battled it out and tried their best to take the game deep. Alice Capsey (16 off 43 balls) ran out of patience and missed the ball completely on her sweep shot to a tossed-up delivery on the middle stump to be adjudged lbw. The DRS referral confirmed the decision, showing three reds on impact, pitching and hitting in line with the stumps to further push England into troubled waters at 79/7.
The rains arrived at the halfway stage after 25 overs, and we had a significant delay, which resulted in the game being reduced to 31 overs per side. A fearless fightback from the lower order once the play resumed, adding 54 runs in the last six overs to push the total to 133/9 in their allotted 31 overs. Charlie Dean (33 off 51 balls), Emily Arlott (18 off 23 balls) led the counterattack. Heather Knight (18 off 17 balls) and Sophia Dunkley (11 off 21 balls) were the only other batters to enter the double digits with the bat for England.
Skipper Fatima Sana (6-1-27-4) returned with the 2nd best figures by a Pakistani skipper in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. Sadia Iqbal (6-2-16-2), Nashra Sandhu (7-2-12-0), and Rameeen Shamim (6-1-22-1) were sensational with the ball for Pakistan.
The target was eventually revised to 113, for Pakistan to register a famous win against England, in the tournament, in their allocated quota of overs. The Pakistani openers Omaima Sohail (19* off 18 balls) and Muneeba Ali (9* off 22 balls) hit the ground running with a brisk 34-run opening stand. The pair gave them the hopes of inflicting something special in their history of World Cup cricket. However, the rain gods had other plans, as their re-entry ensured that the game was officially washed out. As a result, both sides shared a point each.
The Nat Sciver-Brunt-led England, despite their below-par performance in the game, have toppled Australia to take the top spot in the points table. Pakistan have secured their first points in the competition, courtesy of the mercy of the rain gods, giving Fatima Sana-led unit something to cheer for.
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