England saved by rain after Pakistan reality check at Women’s Cricket World Cup in Colombo | Cricket News

There was a glimmer of hope in the clouds surrounding Colombo – at least from the English perspective.

Pakistan’s hopes of securing their first Women’s World Cup victory against England – and their first victory of the tournament – were dashed by incessant rain which came to the rescue of Nat Sciver-Brunt’s struggling side.

It spared England’s invincibility, with the spoils shared after the match was stopped, but their collapse with the bat raised serious questions about their qualifications as World Cup winners heading into a pivotal stage of the tournament.

With hosts India and tournament favorites Australia to follow, the nature of England’s capitulation – falling to 79-7 in 25 overs – will have set off alarm bells, regardless of whether they avoided defeat.

Having scored a century against Sri Lanka in the previous match, Sciver-Brunt’s innings came to a swift end as she was dismissed for four – and she delivered a brutally honest assessment of her own and England’s performance.

“After the break we hit well to give ourselves a chance, but we weren’t very good today, we weren’t good enough,” the England captain said. “We will raise our hands.”

Optimism was high as England began their fourth World Cup appearance after three consecutive victories.

South Africa failed to prove they were up to the task, collapsing at the hands of the English in the first match. Bangladesh proved more difficult to resolve, but Heather Knight showed England had the means to overcome adversity with a match-winning innings, while Sciver-Brunt’s run-in century inspired victory against Sri Lanka.

The ingredients were there for England to go back to the top of the table with another victory at the expense of winless Pakistan, but what happened was a return to alarming type.

With Knight and Sciver-Brunt falling early to Pakistan captain Fatima Rana, the opportunity arose for England’s middle order to step up their efforts. But they were found wanting, as the wickets of Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb and Alice Capsey fell in just 31 runs.

Asked what lessons could be learned, Sciver-Brunt said: “Probably by adapting as quickly as possible. It was a lot of sewing, the wicket, so I guess it’s about putting plans in place to negate that threat.

“After the powerplay, they were picking up wickets – bowling, lbw – preventing us from building partnerships.”

England’s next match is against India in Indore on Sunday and concerns remain over the fitness of several players.

There are also illnesses in the camp, with Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell missing the match in Colombo – a situation worth monitoring, hoping it’s not something that could spill over into the squad.

“I think everyone is training really well,” Sciver-Brunt said. “They follow their processes and come up with their own ‘how to’ on each wicket.

“I guess it’s about finding your own way of doing the same things you would do in practice.”

Besides the obvious benefit of avoiding defeat, there were also silver linings as the rain poured down in Colombo.

Pakistan’s results at this World Cup have clearly belied their quality. Yes, England were expected to beat them, but after putting Australia on the ropes and pushing India close, it was perhaps only a matter of time before everything fell into place.

The pessimism that descended upon the opening of the skies should not overshadow England’s overall campaign.

There is even a case to be made that such an abject performance came at just the right time – allowing England to get him out of their system ahead of crucial clashes with India and Australia, and the knockout stages, which they remain on course to reach.

England leave Colombo with plenty to think about – lessons that must be absorbed if their World Cup ambitions are to be realised.

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