England narrowly escaped what could have been a major scare after their Women’s World Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan on October 15 was ultimately abandoned due to heavy rain. Pakistan had come tantalizingly close to securing their first-ever ODI victory against England in what was their 16th meeting since 1997. However, their hopes were completely dashed when the persistent rain played spoilsport at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. With this Pakistan's campaign at the Women's World Cup 2025 is all but over as they are now out of the semifinal race.
England narrowly escape defeat against Pakistan in rain-affected match
Pakistan did manage to open their account in the tournament, earning a single point. They continue to languish at the bottom of the table, though, with a net run rate of −1.887.
Meanwhile, England are sitting at the top of the points table, boasting a superior net run rate of +1.864 compared to Australia’s +1.353. However, the English side has significant issues to reflect on—particularly their recent inconsistent batting performances—as they prepare to face India in a crucial match this Sunday in Indore.
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Fatima Sana's four-fer in vain
Pakistan completely dominated a rain-interrupted England innings with a ruthless and clinical bowling display. The attack started strongly when Diana Baig struck early to remove the experienced Tammy Beaumont. However, it was Fatima Sana who took charge of the demolition job. Fatima opened her account by dismissing Amy Jones, and then crucially sent back Nat Sciver-Brunt, who had recently made history by scoring the most hundreds in Women’s World Cup history.
Fatima Sana continued her fiery spell by removing former England skipper Heather Knight, a wicket that left England reeling at a dismal 39 for four after just 6.4 overs. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal deepened England’s woes by dismissing both Sophia Dunkley and Emma Lamb. Soon after, Rameen Shamim removed Alice Capsey, and with England tottering badly at 79 for seven in 25 overs, heavy rain finally stopped play in Colombo.
When play resumed at 8:30 PM, Charlie Dean (33) and Emily Arlott (18) mounted a spirited counter-attack. The pair fought back with intent, putting together a valuable 47-run stand for the eighth wicket off just 41 balls, ultimately helping England push their total to 133 in 31 overs. The partnership was finally broken by a run-out of Arlott. Fatima Sana then struck one last time to dismiss Dean, finishing with superb figures of 4 wickets for 27 runs from 6 overs. Complementing the wicket-takers, Nashra Sandhu went wicketless but maintained tight control, conceding only 12 runs from seven overs, which included two maidens.
After their target was dramatically revised to 113 runs in 31 overs, Pakistan quickly found themselves in a commanding position. Muneeba Ali (9*), the only Pakistani woman with multiple T20I centuries, set a confident tone early by driving a boundary off Nat Sciver-Brunt in the very first over. England appeared visibly rattled, as Sciver-Brunt struggled with her line and length, even conceding five wides down the leg side.
Omaima Sohail (19*) joined Muneeba and immediately made her presence felt by striking two boundaries off Lauren Smith, who erred with a low full toss. Sohail continued her fluent stroke play in the following over, hitting two more fours off Emily Arlott. Although Charlie Dean managed to begin her spell with a maiden, Pakistan had already raced to 33 without loss and looked well in control of the chase.
However, the persistent rain returned during the seventh over, abruptly halting Pakistan’s steady march toward what looked like a definite victory. With only 78 runs needed from the remaining 24.2 overs and all ten wickets intact, they were in an overwhelmingly strong position. Unfortunately, the weather refused to clear, and at approximately 9:56 PM, match officials were forced to call off the match.