Image: Charlie Dean top-scored as England made 133 for 9 / © ESPNcricinfo
The match, which was interrupted by rain and ended in a no-result, was between England Women and Pakistan Women in the ICC Women’s World Cup on October 15, 2025, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. It was a day-night game, and Pakistan won the toss, choosing to bowl first. Weather issues forced the match to be reduced to 31 overs per side. England posted 133 for 9 in their innings, setting a target that the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method adjusted to 113 for Pakistan. Pakistan reached 34 for no loss in just 6.4 overs when heavy rain halted play permanently, resulting in both teams sharing a point each.
Starting with England Women’s innings, they faced a tough challenge right from the outset on a pitch that offered genuine assistance to the bowlers, some seam movement, and turn that kept the batters on edge. Amy Jones, the wicketkeeper-batter opening the batting, showed early intent but couldn’t convert it. She notched up 8 runs off 8 balls, smashing a couple of boundaries to signal her aggression. Yet, in the second over, Pakistan’s captain and pace spearhead Fatima Sana struck gold, and the delivery nipped back sharply off the seam. Jones shaped to defend but played all around it, and the ball crashed into the stumps. That early blow at 13 for 1 set a precarious tone, putting immediate pressure on the rest of the lineup.
Tammy Beaumont, the seasoned opener, strode in to partner the new batter, but her stay was even briefer. She scratched around for 4 runs from 6 balls before Diana Baig, Pakistan’s other quick bowler, accounted for her in the first over of her spell. Beaumont was bowled, possibly misjudging a straight delivery that didn’t deviate as expected. Suddenly, England were reeling at 22 for 2 after barely two overs, the scoreboard reading more like a seam bowler’s dream than a World Cup innings.
Captain Heather Knight arrived at the crease to steady the ship, and for a while, she did just that with some flair. She blazed 18 runs off 17 balls, peppering the boundary four times with confident flicks and crisp drives that suggested she was reading the conditions well. But Sana wasn’t done, as in the sixth over, she trapped Knight lbw with a ball that swung in late. Knight reviewed it, hoping for some inside edge or umpire’s call, but third-party technology confirmed it was hitting the leg stump. England slumped to 38 for 3, and Sana’s figure stood at 2 for minimal runs, her leadership with the ball inspiring the attack.
Nat Sciver-Brunt, England’s vice-captain and a pillar of their middle order, followed but couldn’t rescue the situation. She managed just 4 runs from 10 balls before Sana bowled her in the same over, the ball sneaking through as Sciver-Brunt perhaps played across the line. The score dipped to 39 for 4, England in dire straits, their top order dismantled by Pakistan’s pace duo.
Sophia Dunkley entered to rebuild, showing patience with 11 runs off 21 balls, including a boundary that briefly eased tensions. However, left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal ended her resistance in the 11th over, trapping her lbw. Dunkley opted for a review, but Hawk-Eye showed the ball clipping the stumps. Soon after, at 57 for 6, the innings hit rock bottom as Emma Lamb fell for 4 off 5 balls, bowled by Iqbal, who exploited Lamb’s misjudgment of length or turn.
Young all-rounder Alice Capsey provided a glimmer of resistance, batting cautiously at first before opening up. Her 16 off 43 balls featured two boundaries, as she rotated strike and built tentatively. But off-spinner Rameen Shamim got her lbw in the 23rd over, the ball turning in to beat the defensive prod. Capsey’s departure left England needing heroes from the lower order.
Enter Charlie Dean, who delivered a vital knock of 33 off 51 balls, laced with three boundaries. She played with composure, driving and cutting effectively against the spinners, forging partnerships that dragged England to respectability. Dean fell in the 30th over, attempting to pull Sana but miscuing to Omaima Sohail at midwicket.
Em Arlott chipped in with 18 off 23 balls, two fours highlighting her positivity in a handy alliance with Dean. She drove through covers and worked the ball astutely, but in the final over, a sharp throw from substitute Syeda Aroob Shah to keeper Sidra Nawaz ran her out while attempting a risky single.
Sarah Glenn (3 not out off 3) and Linsey Smith (4 not out off 2, with a boundary) added late flourishes. Extras totalled 10 with 4 byes, 1 leg-bye, 1 no-ball, 4 wides, amid a run rate of 4.29. Pakistan’s bowling discipline, with Sana’s 4-27 in 6 overs, was devastating, Diana Baig 1-25 in 3, Sadia Iqbal 2-16 in 6, Rameen Shamim 1-22 in 6, Nashra Sandhu 0-12 in 7, and Omaima Sohail 0-26 in 3. England’s below-par total of 133 for 9 felt defensible in curtailed overs, thanks to the tail’s grit, but early collapses left runs on the table against a pitch that wasn’t impossible.
Shifting to Pakistan Women’s innings, they chased a DLS-adjusted 113 in 31 overs, aware of the looming rain. A solid start was crucial, and openers Muneeba Ali and Omaima Sohail delivered before the deluge. Muneeba Ali, not out on 9 from 22 balls, played anchor, nudging singles and hitting one boundary to settle in. Omaima Sohail, more attacking, remained not out on 19 off 18 balls with a boundary, driving confidently off Linsey Smith and capitalizing on errors.
Nat Sciver-Brunt opened the bowling, leaking 13 in her first over with wides as Pakistan flew to a quick start. Smith bowled two tight overs for 11. Em Arlott’s 1.4 overs cost 10, Charlie Dean’s one over was maiden-like at 0 runs. At 34 for 0 after 6.4 overs (run rate 5.10), with 6 wides as extras, Pakistan were cruising. The powerplay (overs 0.1-6.0) yielded 33 without loss, required rate in check.
Rain ended it abruptly, denying Pakistan a likely win. Batters like Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana, Sidra Nawaz, Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, and Sadia Iqbal never faced a ball. England’s bowlers, Sciver-Brunt (13/2ovs), Smith (11/2), Arlott (10/1.4), Dean (0/1), found no breakthroughs, no DRS needed. Sohail’s flair and Ali’s solidity suggested a comfortable chase if the weather had cooperated. The point shared felt like a robbery for Pakistan after their bowling heroics.
In this rain-hit 31-over thriller, England crumbled to 133/9 against Pakistan’s relentless attack, and Fatima Sana owned the spotlight with her spellbinding performance. TCNI’s Magic Moment goes to Sana’s 6-1-27-4, a clinical performance in hostile pace and sharp movement that shredded England’s batting and capped their scoring at a meagre 4.29 run rate. Sana ignited the fire early, bowling opener Amy Jones in the second over with a seaming inswinger that the keeper-batter missed while defending.
She then dismantled the middle order in the powerplay, lbw-ing skipper Heather Knight (18 off 17) with late swing and bowling Nat Sciver-Brunt (4 off 10) as the vice-captain played across the line. Her fourth strike came late, inducing Charlie Dean (33 off 51) into a mistimed pull caught by Omaima Sohail. With 24 dot balls and just one boundary conceded, Sana’s 4.50 economy turned potential partnerships into collapses, from 22/2 to 39/4 in a blink. Her captaincy from the front embodied Pakistan’s dominance, making this the game’s defining sequence.
Amid England’s batting meltdown against Pakistan’s fired-up bowlers in the 31-over slog, Charlie Dean rose as TCNI’s Hero of the Day, her tenacity rescuing a near rout. At 57/6, with stars like Amy Jones, Heather Knight (18), and Nat Sciver-Brunt (4) dismissed, and Fatima Sana rampant at 4/27, Dean batted at No. 8 to rebuild.
Her gritty 33 off 51 balls (strike rate 64.70, three fours) featured composed drives and cuts, especially versus spinners. Facing Sana’s bite (4.50 econ), Diana Baig’s pace (8.33), and Nashra Sandhu’s control (1.71), Dean forged key stands, lifting England to 133/9. She fell in over 30.1, caught off Sana, but not before Em Arlott’s 18 added zip, ending in a run-out. Dean’s poise under duress transformed despair into a fighting total, earning her the nod as the day’s standout.