Intermittent rain in Colombo intervened once more on Saturday, causing a stoppage in the ICC Women’s World Cup match between Pakistan and New Zealand shortly after Pakistan lost their third wicket.
Facing a must-win situation to sustain their slim chances of reaching the semi-finals, Pakistan had reached 52-3 in 12.2 overs when precipitation forced the players to leave the field at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Pakistan, having lost the toss and been asked to bat first, fielded an unchanged lineup from their previous match against England last Wednesday.
Opening batter Muneeba Ali began positively, striking a boundary off the very first delivery of the innings by guiding a wayward ball to the fence. She also received an early lifeline in the second over when New Zealand’s wicket-keeper, Isabella Gaze, dropped a chance off Jess Kerr’s bowling. However, Muneeba failed to build a substantial innings and was dismissed for 22 runs, shortly after the fall of Omaima Sohail’s wicket. Muneeba was caught by Suzie Bates at short mid-wicket, while Omaima fell to a pace delivery from Lea Tahuhu that skidded on and trapped her leg-before-wicket.
Tahuhu, with her brisk bowling, continued to pose problems for the Pakistani lineup and claimed the prized wicket of the in-form Sidra Amin. Sidra, who had hit a boundary in the preceding over from Sophie Devine, was dismissed while attempting a cut shot that went straight to the fielder at point.
That delivery proved to be the final ball of the match for the time being, as rain returned to the Sri Lankan capital. Colombo, which is currently experiencing its monsoon season, has already witnessed two complete washouts this week.
When questioned at the toss about her team’s batting struggles in the tournament, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana expressed optimism, stating, “Our batting will hopefully execute better today.”
For New Zealand, Lea Tahuhu was included in the playing eleven, replacing Bree Illing. Explaining her decision to bowl first, captain Sophie Devine said, “We want to have first crack at the track, especially with rain around.”
Pakistan’s quest for their first victory in the tournament was previously hampered by rain last Wednesday when their crucial fixture against England was abandoned. Chasing a revised target of 113, Pakistan were well-placed at 34-0 in 6.4 overs before a second bout of rain ended the match, sparing England from what would have been their first-ever loss to Pakistan.
A day earlier, Pakistani opener Omaima Sohail had mentioned that the team remained hopeful of securing a spot in the tournament’s semi-finals.
New Zealand also entered this match following a washed-out game of their own against Sri Lanka last Tuesday, a match that was called off after Sri Lanka posted a formidable total of 258-6.
Teams:
Pakistan: Omaima Sohail, Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Sidra Nawaz (wicket-keeper), Fatima Sana (captain), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.
New Zealand: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (captain), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wicket-keeper), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson, Lea Tahuhu.
