Colombo, Oct 15 (IANS) Pakistan captain Fatima Sana couldn’t hide her disappointment after persistent rain washed away what she called “a golden chance” for her team to claim their first-ever win over England in Women’s ODIs, as their ICC Women’s World Cup clash at the R. Premadasa Stadium ended in a no-result on Wednesday.

Pakistan were well placed at 34 for no loss in 6.4 overs, chasing a revised target of 113 from 31 overs (DLS), when rain returned to spoil what looked like their best opportunity yet to defeat England on the world stage. With the result, both sides shared points — a blow to Pakistan’s semifinal hopes, which now hang by a thread following their third washout of the tournament.

“This was the day we could have beaten them,” Fatima said after the match. “This pitch was good for pacers. I saw a lot of performances on this track, so I knew it would help fast bowlers. I just tried to bowl in good areas and target the stumps. But I would have been happier if we would have won the match.”

Fatima led from the front with a brilliant 4 for 27, dismantling England’s top order in a fiery opening burst. Her spell, supported by Diana Baig (1-25) and Sadia Iqbal (2-16), restricted England to 133 for 9 in 31 overs in a rain-curtailed innings.

After Pakistan won the toss and opted to field, Fatima made immediate use of the seam movement under overcast skies. She removed Amy Jones, Heather Knight, and Nat Sciver-Brunt in her first spell, after Baig had earlier cleaned up Tammy Beaumont, reducing England to 39 for 4 after 6.4 overs.

There was a short-lived resistance from Emma Lamb and Sophia Dunkley, who added 15 runs for the fifth wicket, before Sadia Iqbal’s double strike deepened England’s troubles. Heavy rain later forced a three-hour delay, and once play resumed, Charlie Dean (33) and Emily Arlott (21) put on 46 runs for the eighth wicket to lift England past 130.

Under the DLS method, Pakistan’s chase was reduced to 113, and openers Muneeba Ali (9 not out) and Omaima Sohail (19 not out) gave the side a confident start before the rain returned to end proceedings prematurely.

Fatima was full of praise for her top order: “Muneeba and Omaima batted well today. In the last two matches, we did well with the ball — we just need to improve our batting. Hopefully, we will do that.”

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, meanwhile, admitted that her side was outplayed in the early stages. “Pakistan bowled brilliantly. Fatima and Diana bowled really well and made it hard for us to get into the game at all. The rain break came in — I thought Charlie and Em batted well in the last six overs to get us to that total. Today, we were not good enough.”

She acknowledged her team’s struggles against the movement early on: “It was seaming quite a lot. We didn’t plan well enough to nullify that threat. After the Power-play, we kept losing wickets and never got any partnership going.”

Looking ahead, Sciver-Brunt added that England would need to quickly adapt to new venues and conditions. “Everyone is practising well; it’s just about putting that into the game. We’re going to a different ground now — we have to assess conditions, find ways to post a total, and pick the right tools to take wickets.”

–IANS

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