Pakistan almost out of the Women’s ODI World Cup
Colombo: On Wednesday, rain once again disrupted the Women’s One-Day World Cup match, resulting in no result. England avoided a potential embarrassing defeat and strengthened its position at the top of the points table. On the other hand, Pakistan missed out on a historic victory and is now almost out of the race for the semifinals.
Second consecutive abandoned match
After Tuesday’s Sri Lanka–New Zealand match in Colombo was washed out, there were fears of a similar outcome on Wednesday — and that’s exactly what happened. The clash between former world champions England and Pakistan was declared a no result due to persistent rain. Pakistan had been given a revised target of 113 runs in 31 overs under the Duckworth–Lewis method. When play was stopped again, Pakistan had reached 34 for no loss in 6.4 overs. With the rain refusing to relent, the match was abandoned, and both teams were awarded one point each.
Unlucky Pakistan
Earlier, after rain interruptions, England managed to score 133 for 9 in the allotted 31 overs. Pakistan captain Fatima Sana bowled superbly, taking four wickets. Pakistan had a golden opportunity to claim its first-ever win against England in ODIs — but that chance was cruelly snatched away by rain. Under the revised conditions, Sana’s team needed only 113 runs in 31 overs, a very achievable target.
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What’s next for bottom-placed Pakistan?
England is now virtually through to the semifinals, while Pakistan, with only one point and a net run rate of –1.887 (the worst among all eight teams), sits at the bottom of the table. To have any hope left, Pakistan will not only need to win all three of its remaining league matches but also pray that the results of other teams — including India — go in its favor.
Where does India stand?
India currently sits in fourth place, behind England, Australia, and South Africa, with 4 points and a net run rate of +0.682.
Today’s match
Today Bangladesh will take on Australia at Visakhapatnam.