Women's World Cup 2025, Match 16 Review: England vs Pakistan fixture ends in no result as rain plays spoilsport

Published - 15 Oct 2025, 22:31 IST | Updated - 15 Oct 2025, 23:00 IST

The 16th match of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 between England and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo ended in a no result on Wednesday, after constant showers interrupted play multiple times. This became the third match of the tournament and the third in Colombo, to be washed out due to rain, following the abandoned Sri Lanka-Australia fixture and Tuesday's Sri Lanka-New Zealand game, which also ended in a no result.

Heading into the contest, England were unbeaten and sitting comfortably at the top of the table, while Pakistan were desperate for a win to keep their semi-final hopes alive. Pakistan captain Fatima Sana won the toss and elected to field first, and her bowlers dismantled England's top order in helpful seam conditions.

England's batting, which had looked shaky in previous games, was exposed once again. Fatima led from the front with a sensational spell of 4 for 27, troubling the English batters. Diana Baig and Sadia Iqbal provided brilliant support, chipping in with wickets to put England to 78 for 7 inside 25 overs.

Heather Knight (18) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (4) failed to stabilize the innings, while Tammy Beaumont (4) and Amy Jones (8) fell early. The lower order gave some fight, with Charlie Dean top-scoring with 33 and Emily Arlott adding 18, helping the team reach 133 for 9 in their allotted 31 overs after the match was reduced due to an earlier rain delay.

Chasing a revised target of 113 in 31 overs, the Women in Blue got off to a flying start. Openers Omaima Sohail (19 not out) and Muneeba Ali (9 not out) looked comfortable against the English bowlers, adding 34 runs in just 6.4 overs. The duo put Pakistan well ahead of the DLS par score when the rain returned.

The downpour showed no signs of relenting. Despite repeated efforts by the ground staff to get the game restarted, the umpires were eventually forced to call off the match, with two teams sharing a point each. The one point gained hasn't made much change to the table, as England still hold the pole position with seven points, while Pakistan are languishing at the bottom with a single point to their name.