Raf’s report is here – goodnight!
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana’s verdict
I think we showed that we can beat England, but [the rain] was not in our favour.
[On her four-for with the ball] I know this pitch has been good for the fast bowlers so I just tried to bowl a good length. It would have been good [to take those wickets] if we had won the match.
We've bowled well in the last couple of matches so hopefully we can improve our bowling in the next few games.
Nat Sciver-Brunt's reaction
I thought Pakistan bowled brilliantly and made it really hard for us to get into the game at all. We weren’t good enough and we’ll hold our hands up.
[What didn’t you do well enough with the bat?] Probably adapting as quickly as possible to how much the wicket was seaming. We couldn’t put a partnership together at all.
[On the form of the other batters] Everyone’s practising really well and I guess it’s about finding a way to do that in games.
We’re going to do a different ground now, in Indore, so we’ll have to assess the conditions there and pick out different tools that we all have.
England take a point – please don’t ask them to take any positives – and return to the top of the World Cup league table. This is how it looks after four games apiece.
England 7pts (NRR +1.89)
Australia 7 (+1.35)
South Africa 6 (-0.62)
India 4 (0.68)
New Zealand 3 (-0.24)
Bangladesh 2 (-0.26)
Sri Lanka 2 (-1.53)
Pakistan 1 (-1.89)
India’s game against New Zealand a week tomorrow could become a de facto quarter-final.
Match abandoned
England have dodged one there. Pakistan were on course for an historic first ODI victory over England when the rain returned in Colombo. Had play continued, they would have needed 79 from 148 balls with all 10 wickets intact. Yeah.
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Still raining, I’m afraid. Time is running out and I suspect the match will be abandoned in the next 10-15 minutes.
Rain stops play
6.4 overs: Pakistan 34-0 (Muneeba 9, Omaima 19) And they’re off. That doesn’t mean the end of the game – it’s currently 9.34pm local time – but Pakistan need to bat 20 overs for there to be a positive result either way. (Unless they get bowled out or chase their target, yada yada.)
Updated
It’s raining again. Play is continuing for now but the groundstaff are loitering with intent.
6th over: Pakistan 33-0 (Muneeba 9, Omaima 18) Dean replaces Smith for the last over of the reduced Powerplay and finds some sharp spin during an encouraging maiden.
Muneeba was almost bowled round her legs second ball; there was a slight but crucial deflection off either bat or pad.
5th over: Pakistan 33-0 (Muneeba 9, Omaima 18) Em Arlott replaces Sciver-Brunt. Omaima snicks a big drive for four, past the fielder at short third, before slicing a deliberate boundary off the last ball. England are in several sorts here, maybe all sorts.
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4th over: Pakistan 24-0 (Muneeba 8, Omaima 10) No problems for Omaima in Smith’s second over: she drives two boundaries through the covers to continue Pakistan’s fine start. Smith didn’t get her length right – the first was a full toss, the second overpitched – but Omaima put both deliveries away with auhority.
3rd over: Pakistan 14-0 (Muneeba 7, Omaima 1) This would be a landmark victory for Pakistan. They’ve lost all 13 completed ODIs against England, and the head-to-head across both white-ball formats is P31 W1 L30.
Sciver-Brunt shakes her head in frustration after slipping a loose delivery down the leg side for five wides. Jones could only help the ball on its way.
England aren’t really threatening go take the early wickets they need to undermine Pakistan’s runchase.
2nd over: Pakistan 6-0 (Muneeba 6, Omaima 0) What England would give for Linsey Smith to run through the top order as she did against South Africa.
There are no wickets in her first over - but she does cause plenty of problems for the right-handed Omaima, who almost falls over an inswinger and then survives an LBW appeal after playing around her front pad. Missing leg.
1st over: Pakistan 5-0 (Muneeba 5, Omaima 0) Sciver-Brunt’s third ball is too short and cut for four by Muneeba Ali. The rest of the over is spot on, just a single from it.
It’s a quick turnaround – no time to waste – and the players are back on the field. With Lauren Bell not playing today, Nat Sciver-Brunt will open the bowling.
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Pakistan's target is 113 from 31 overs
They are favourites.
They are Pakistan.
31st over: England 133-9 (Glenn 3, Smith 4) Smith and Glenn manages to scamper five from the last two deliveries; who knows, they could be vital.
England scored 54 for 2 in that six-over mini-session, an excellent effort from the lower order that has at least given them something to protect. We don’t know Pakistan’s target yet but the commentators think it will be around 113.
And finally, Fatima’s figures of 4 for 27 are the best for Pakistan against England in a momen’s ODI.
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WICKET! England 126-9 (Dean c Omaima b Sana 33)
Fatima Sana strikes again! Even in the final over that’s an important wicket, her fourth of the innings. Dean tried to ramp Fatima for four but didn’t clear Omaima at short fine leg.
Five balls remaining. Dean did well to score 28 from 19 balls after the restart.
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30th over: England 125-8 (Dean 33, Glenn 0) That was the last ball of an eventful penultimate over: 13 runs, a dropped catch, a missed run-out chance and finally the run out of Arlott.
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WICKET! England 125-8 (Arlott run out 18)
Arlott smashes the ball back at Omaima, who can’t hold on to a very tough return catch above her head.
The wet conditions aren’t great for the spinners, and Omaima bowls successive full tosses that are walloped for four and then two by Dean. Arlott would have been run out off the second delivery had Omaima’s flick throw hit the stumps.
Dean cuts four more, a superb stroke, and then Arlott is run out at the non-striker’s end after trying to steal a single to backward point.
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29th over: England 112-7 (Dean 23, Arlott 15) Pakistan have a big LBW appeal turned down when Dean under-edges a reverse sweep onto the pad. The resulting run is given as a leg-bye but she definitely hit it; had she not done so it would have been a really good shout too.
Arlott gets her second boundary by helping a leg-stump full toss from Shamim round the corner. Useful runs, these: Dean and Arlott have added 33 in four overs since the restart.
28th over: England 102-7 (Dean 20, Arlott 9) Dean, who is charging almost every delivery she faces, smashes the ball just past the outstretched left hand of the bowler Omaima.
That shot brings one of four singles from the first five balls – but then Arlott clips a superbly placed shot through midwicket for four to make it eight from the over.
27th over: England 94-7 (Dean 18, Arlott 3) Rameen Shahim, who had figures of 4-1-3-1 before the rain delay, concedes 10 from her fifth over.
Dean, such a smart and resourceful lower-order batter, nails a reverse sweep through point for four and then scampers back for consecutive twos.
Four overs to go.
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26th over: England 84-7 (Dean 9, Arlott 2) Omaima Sohail, the occasional offspinner, comes on for the first time in the innings. England try to force the pace without a huge amount of success – there are five runs from the over including two iffy singles to mid-off. Arlott would have been out with a direct hit; Dean was fractionally home when the throw hit the stumps.
DLS will still be needed to determine Pakistan’s target. The chances are England’s eventual total will be reduced.
Okay, here we go.
Charlie Dean and Em Arlott will resume on 5 and 1 respectively, with Sarah Glenn and Linsey Smith – both authentic tailenders – to come. Sounds a bit daft but, even with only six overs left, Dean and Arlott should probably take a couple of overs to get themselves in.
Yep, play will restart at 4pm BST. It’s actually 31 overs a side, not 30.
The two captains are chatting to the umpires, who seem unsure about something. There are a few damp patches on the outfield; the umpire were also patting the pitch inquisitively a few minutes ago.
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The umpires are inspecting again, which suggests the restart time could be brought forward. Oh cricket, how you spoil us.
Match reduced to 30 overs a side
Apparently the match is now 30 overs a side. England will resume on 79 for 7 from 25 overs, and in abundant bother.
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Anyone out there? A reminder that, if the match is reduced to a 20-over, Pakistan’s target will be 61. And Sophie Ecclestone isn’t playing.
Play will resume at 4pm BST (8.30pm local time)
No word yet on how many overs have been lost or whether England will bat again.
The covers are coming off
In an unlikely development, the rain has eased and the groundstaff are getting into their work. We’re still a fair way from a resumption – potentially hours rather than minutes – but it’s a promising development.
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Thanks Tanya, hello folks. It’s bleak, bleak, bleak in Colombo, with time running out to begin a clean-up operation that would enable the match to resume by 9.38pm local time (5.08pm BST).
If England do escape with a point, they’ll probably need to win only one of the last three games to reach the semi-finals. That sounds straightforward until you remember those games are against India, Australia and New Zealand.
I’m getting ahead of myself. Won’t you look at that weather in Colombo!
Time for me to go. Rob Smyth will entertain you as the rain falls, and hopefully bring you some sort of a match before the clock runs down. Bye!
The rain continues to fall
And while it does – shall we stroke our chins over England’s batting? Do they need to switch things up before the games against Australia and India? Bring in Danni Wyatt-Hodges? Move Emma Lamb, PCA player of the year with a thousand runs opening the batting in domestic cricket, up the order?
No news.
On the No Balls podcast, a fascinating interview with Sophie Devine, talking about the fact this her last World Cup.
“There’s a sense of freedom. I can drop all the other stuff, and go out and play cricket. We’ve spoken a lot about how much energy I’ve got but now I’ve got nothing afterwards so if I’m absolutely carked at the end of it, its like – who cares.
“I want to be carried off the field in that last game because I’ve given every part of my mind, body and soul to the game and there’s a real sense of freedom in that.”
Time for another coffee.
We are now losing overs from this game
Beat the clock. Working backwards, if the teams do get out there at 5.08, Pakistan would need 61 from 20 overs.
We’re back in Colombo, where Nasser Hussain reports on heavy rain getting heavier. Young fans chat on yellow plastic seats, families sit inside, including Katherine S-B and baby Theo.
Sky’s commentators mull over the tea leaves.“Pakistan were exceptional, they hit a really good length, Fatima was exceptional. We saw the most seam movement we’ve see in this tournament. England’s frailties against the ball were exposed. Pakistan made good adjustments in terms of their seam position. England didn’t have an answer, they didn’t come forward int he crease.”
Over on the BBC, Alex Hartley is asked what her favourite surprise of the tournament has been, “Bangladesh - they’ve competed way more than the West Indies would have done, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they improve between this and the next World Cup.”
And as player (so far) of the tournament: Sophie Ecclestone and Sophie Devine for Hartley, Nadine de Klerk for Dan Norcross, and Richa Ghosh and Ecclestone for Estelle Vasudevan.
Do any OBO readers have any alternative suggestions?
The cut off time for this match is 5.08pm.
Still raining
Sky have now resorted to a library match of England v Pakistan men back in the days when Ryan Sidebottom played. So I don’t think we’re going to be seeing any action from Colombo for a while.
Pakistan got so close to bowling Australia out, if they could finishes things off against England it would be a huge boost to their confidence. Though their brittle batting would then have to shimmy the runs from somewhere.
No news from Colombo, but I assume it’s still raining. Ah, here we are, the television pictures show a ground masquerading as a swimming pool, completely covered by blue covers.
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This was Raf’s take from last week. Some prescient observations.
Hello there Geoff Wignall. “Not there yet, but has a team ever been bowled out in an ODI without a single catch or runout?” Hmmmm… let me come back to you that one.
Pakistan are applauded off the field by their coaching staff, England must face a stern-faced Edwards. A really special performance by Pakistan’s bowlers. I think we’re in for a bit of a delay here, so will go and grab a coffee – back shortly.
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Rain stops play - England 79-7
25th over: England 79-7 (Dean 5, Arlott 1) A huge appeal for lbw marks the end of a maiden from Sadia, but Arlott has a sliver of bat on pad.On come the covers in a whirlwind of dark blue sheets.
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24th over: England 79-7 (Dean 5, Arlott 0) Pakistan lift a beaming Shamim into the air as England lose their last recognised batter. Capsey’s fantastically expressive face sinks in disappointment. Around the boundary the groundstaff stand holding the groundsheets in readiness.
WICKET! Capsey lbw Shamim 16 (England 78-7)
Capsey stretches forward with bat and front leg. Sweeps. Misses. Reviews like a condemned woman with one foot on the gallows. Couldn’t make the most of her reprieve.
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23rd over: England 78-6 (Capsey 16, Dean 5) Nashra, cloth in her back pocket, whizzing through her overs. A good throw would have had Capsey in a bit of trouble as they come back for a second.
22nd over: England 75-6 (Capsey 15, Dean 3) Back to back maidens.
21st over: England 75-6 (Capsey 15, Dean 3) Ooof a beauty from Nashra shimmies past the outside edge of Capsey’s back. A maiden.
20th over: England 75-6 (Capsey 15, Dean 3) Shamin wheels in, bowling with her cap on. A single off the first ball from Capsey and Dean defends the rest.
19th over: England 74-6 (Capsey 14, Dean 3) It looks very, very murky at Colombo now. The hovering groundsmen suggest rain is imminent. Capsey shovels four past mie on.
18th over: England 69-6 (Capsey 9, Dean 3) Lucky, lucky Alice Capsey. Sweeps Rameen Shamim’s first ball, a full toss, straight into the hands of Muneeba at square leg who inexplicably drops a sitter.
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17th over: England 68-6 (Capsey 7, Dean 3) One from the over.
“So what is England’s lowest 50-over score?” asks Nick Terdre. “Are we on course to lower it?” They’re already safe. It was 50, against India in 2005, when Jenny Gunn was the only one to make double figures.
16th over: England 67-6 (Capsey 7, Dean 3) Sadia again. Capsey refuses to get stuck in the crease and after 46 balls without a boundary, Capsey dances down the crease and launches her straight for four.
15th over: England 62-6 (Capsey 2, Dean 3) A maiden from Mashra, including one that turns and bounces and misses Dean’s off stump by a sheet of tissue paper.
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14th over: England 62-6 (Capsey 2, Dean 3) Fatima is back on the field. Sadia continues, Dean shows her a straight bat. Nervous times
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13th over: England 60-6 (Capsey 0, Dean 1) A couple off Nashra’s over, and a lucky escape for Lamb who pushes wantonly and the ball loops just over cover’s head.
12th over: England 58-6 (Capsey 0, Dean 1) England find themselves in the same hole that Australia found themselves in last week. Fabulous bowling by Pakistan, giving England nothing.
WICKET! Dunkley lbw Sadia 11 (England 57-6)
Not out on the field but Pakistan do better with their review with Fatima off the field! Dunkley sweeps, awkwardly, misses, the ball hones in on her pad and she is sent on her merry way.
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11th over: England 55-5 (Dunkley 9, Capsey 0) Nashra Sandhu replaces Fatima. A cracking last ball, beats Capsey and they check for a stumping.
10th over: England 54-5 (Dunkley 8, Capsey 0) Not great news for Pakistan, as Fatima limps off. She gets over the rope and squats down immediately – perhaps the humidity has got to her. But the wickets continue to tumble – Lamb caught on the crease, boots of clay.
WICKET! Lamb b Sadia 4 (England 54-5)
Another death rattle! Lamb misjudges the arm ball from Sadia, rocks back and finds herself trapped, middle stump kissed away.
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9th over: England 54-4 (Dunkley 8, Lamb 4) Fatima continues. A sloppy bit of fielding in the covers allows Dunkley a boundary to bring up the fifty. Another goes for four byes, past the gloves of the keeper – just the sort of runs to ballast a wobbly England.
8th over: England 46-4 (Dunkley 4, Lamb 4) Relief (possibly) for England in the shape of left-arm spinner Sadia. A huge opportunity here for Dunkley and Lamb to get stuck in. A handful of singles as the clouds come in over Colombo.
7th over: England 40-4 (Dunkley 1, Lamb 1) A double wicket over for Fatima and England are looking similar to the sludgy autumn leaves currently proving a slip hazard on my front step. The diminutive Fatima is calling all the shots.
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WICKET! Knight lbw Fatima 18 (England 39-4)
Knight reviews, thinks she’s outside the line, looks closer this time…. it is!!! A celebration of lime green shirts as Knight trudges off, done by yet another in-ducker.
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WICKET! Sciver-Brunt b Fatima 4 (England 38-3)
Well, now! A third England player is bowled as Fatima delivers another honky-tonk inswinger which NSB decides, ill advisedly, to cut. Middle stump a go-go.
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6th over: England 38-2 (Knight 18, Sciver-Brunt 4) Not a great start to Diana’s over – a juicy ball wide of off stump furrowed for four by Knight, followed by a wide full toss. Things settle, a little, after that.
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5th over: England 33-2 (Knight 14, Sciver-Brunt 4)A(nother) reprieve for Heather Knight who is given out lbw to Fatima. NSB advises a review, and sure enough the ball would have missed leg stump. A couple more lbw appeals follow in quick succession and Pakistan review the third in great excitement only to discover that the ball hit outside the line. Still, Fatima is conjuring up inswing to die for. Knight breaks the tension with a cut through point for four.
4th over: England 28-2 (Knight 8, Sciver-Brunt 4) Birthday girl Diana, 30, with another over. Sciver-Bruunt leans into an on-drive and sends the ball spinning gloriously for four, she seems to have carried her form through from the last match.
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3rd over: England 22-2 (Knight 8, Sciver-Brunt 0) Sciver-Brunt applies some balm after Jones is beaten by a chestnut fizzing out of the embers and into her stumps. Fantastic start by Pakistan. A wicket maiden.
WICKET! Jones b Fatima 8 (England 22-2)
Another gorgeous inswinger! Fatima punches the air and both England openers go cheaply again.
2nd over: England 22-1 (Jones 8, Knight 8) A siren signifies that Diana Baig’s first ball is a no ball – Beaumont says thanks very much and biffs the free hit for four, but isn’t able to make the most of such generosity, losing her bails shortly afterwards. Knight is off the mark straight away with two fours, interspersed with a wide as Diana’s radar goes slightly wonky.
WICKET! Beaumont b Diana 4 (England 13-1)
A bold leave by Beaumont, who flourishes bat aloft but hears the death rattle as the ball nips in beautifully and clocks the top of off stump.
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1st over: England 8-0 (Jones 8, Beaumont 0) Captain Fatima Sana with the new ball – her second delivery is turned by Jones off her ankles for four, and her last driven past a couple of stationary fielders for four more. Sana is not impressed. The palm trees peak through the gaps in the stands, not too many watching yet
Two snappy stats as the players walk on. NSB has three hundreds in her last five innings against Pakistan. And England have never lost to Pakistan in an ODI.
Time for the anthems. Pakistan’s is quite a sombre affair – there’s a rabbit hole on Wikipedia about it which I’ve just hauled myself out of. A rapid, drum-heavy, rendition of God Save the King follows. England drape arms round shoulders, Pakistan hand on hearts.
Pakistan had Australia on the rack in Colombo last Wednesday, reducing them to 76 for seven. Only a brilliant century from Beth Mooney and fifty from Alana King at No. 10 rescued the innings. Unfortunately Pakistan were then bowled out for 114, but England will not underestimate their attack.
A shame for England that they will be without joint-second tournament wicket-taker Ecclestone, but a good chance to for Sarah Glenn to show what she can offer. And for Em Arlott, who had such a good summer against West Indies, stepping into Lauren Bell’s boots.
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Two changes for Pakisan
Allrounder Aliya Riaz and batter Omaima Sohail return.
Pakistan: Omaima Sohail, Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Fatima Sana (capt), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.
Two changes for England - Ecclestone and Lauren Bell ill
Sarah Glenn and Em Arlott come in.
England XI: Beaumont, Jones (wk), Knight, Sciver-Brunt (capt), Dunkley, Lamb,Capsey, Dean, Glenn, Arlott, Smith
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Pakistan win the toss and will bowl!
“Because the pitch looks good,” says Fatima Sana, “and will be an advantage for our spinners.” Nat Sciver Brunt would have bowled too.
Preamble
Hello from Colombo, via a dank, grey Manchester morning. Game four for England of what has been a rather excellent campaign – three games, three wins and nestled just below Australia in second place, but with a superior run rate. A win today will take them top, springboarding artistically into the serious end of the round-robin when they play India and Australia, and New Zealand.
Their opponents, bottom of the table Pakistan, have had a less productive time, with three losses and zero points. Just about the only thing in their favour is that Colombo is a home from home - they’ve played all their games there. Not that it has been a huge help to their batting, with totals of 129, 159, and 114 splashed across the scorebook.
Play starts at 10.30am, do join us to chew the cud.
