10.08pm So, that's a wrap from a very soggy Premadasa. England deserved to lose for the first time in ODIs to Pakistan, after a brilliant bowling display led by the skipper Fatima Sana, but the rain was the only winner. From Miller, Ashish and Ranjith, good night!
Dunc: "Everyone set to play England next must be practicing their off-cutters and in-swingers. "
10.03pm Here's Nat Sciver-Brunt: "Pakistan bowled brilliantly, made it hard for us to get into the game at all. The rain break came and Charlie and Em batted really well to give us a chance. But we weren't very good today and we'll hold our hands up. It was seaming a lot, we needed plans to nullify that threat ... bowleds and lbws stopped us getting a partnership. Everyone is practicing really well, going through their processes, but taking it from the nets to the wicket is different. We're off to Indore now, so will assess the conditions and work out what's best for our team."
Fatima Sana: "Today was the day we can beat them... it was not in our favour. We know this pitch is good for pacers. I saw lots of performances before on this track. I tried to bowl on a good length, tried for the stumps. But it would have been good if we'd won the match. The conditions suited our batters, it was wet and helped them. In last couple of matches we did well in bowling and need to improve our batting. We will sit and chat together."
9.56pm It's all over. Match abandoned! That is crushing for Pakistan. They are out of the running for the semi-finals, despite having both Australia and England seven-down for nothing. And unlike the Beth Mooney-led escape last week, England were not getting away with this one!
Armughan: "Not that it matters, what was the par score for Pakistani team after 6.4 overs. " Absurdly, it would have been 14! They were walking it!
John ANDREW: "phew - that point may be vital in progressing to final 4 as it also avoids a big bashing on the NRR - slice of luck but feel sorry for Pakistan as they deserved the win" As it is, England are sitting pretty at the top of the standings. But Australia, also on seven points, are looking rather better!
9.46pm I'm afraid the rain is getting heavier, so Fidel tells me.
Avisek: "Question- In a ODI match, if the chasing team has already crossed 20 overs par score before playing 20 overs and then rain arrives. Will it still be a draw." Absurdly yes... from memory, that's exactly what happened to Australia against Bangladesh at the Champions Trophy in 2017.
Richard H: "That 2017 Aus/Ban game was used by Duckworth and Lewis themselves as a reason to change the way ICC playing conditions are applied, and no one listened!" QED, as they say!
Saket Asati: "Have we already forgotten Gardner or Mooney's innings? or even Nat's? That's enough proof that there is still time in ODI to change the complexion of the game and thus those rules." It is a fair point, and England did do well in their final six overs. But I still maintain that the objective should be to enhance the prospects of a full match taking place.
UMAR: "92 England Version is uploading" yes... and they'd better go on and win the trophy now to maintain the narrative!
9.38pm The rain looks pretty steady now, and the full covers are almost on. To reiterate, we need 20 overs (or a completed chase) for this to be considered a Pakistan win. Right now, it doesn't look like we'll get them in ...
David : "They have to follow the playing conditions, they can't just change them because people want England to lose. " Agreed... but they can change the playing conditions to allow for the likelihood of rain. This summer's County competitions showed rare flexibility on that front, fwiw.
Lee: "It's written that we need to be back on the field by 9:38 while it's already 9:40 in Colombo. I suppose that is not accurate is it" That was to begin a 20-over chase, rather than continue one that's already in progress. But yes, there really isn't much of a window left. Maybe half an hour.
9.32pm Uh oh, the groundstaff are gathering... Sure enough, on come the covers as the rain returns.
This is shaping up as a travesty, I'm afraid. Pakistan are romping to victory, and if this had become as a 20-over contest, they'd already have won on DLS. Instead, we still need to get 13.1 overs in ... and time is running out. The overs will be ticking down as we speak. Remember we needed to be back on at 9.38pm for a 20-over match, so there's not much wiggle room left.
Bharat: "Ridiculous decision to let England bat the remaining overs. It's anyway a matter of extrapolation, why not just do that from 79/7 in 25 overs?" Yes, I'm afraid I agree. Pakistan's chase would have been 61 in 20 overs! And given how they've gone in 6.4, they would surely have won by now!
Navin: "When does this officially count as a game? Was it at the 5 over mark or is it later? I assume Pakistan are well ahead of any DL targets" ... 20 overs, seeing as it's an ODI
The powerplay is over, Arlott will continue despite that ropey start
END OF OVER:6 | (maiden) | PAK-W: 33/0 (80 runs required from 25 overs, RR: 5.50, RRR: 3.20)
- Muneeba Ali9 (19b)
- Omaima Sohail18 (17b)
- Charlie Dean1-1-0-0
- Em Arlott1-0-9-0
Charlie Dean into the attack for the last over of the adjusted powerplay
END OF OVER:5 | 9 Runs | PAK-W: 33/0 (80 runs required from 26 overs, RR: 6.60, RRR: 3.07)
- Omaima Sohail18 (17b)
- Muneeba Ali9 (13b)
- Em Arlott1-0-9-0
- Linsey Smith2-0-11-0
Selva: "As an India fan, an England loss here is much needed for India. " Yes, and makes this weekend's clash very tasty!
An early change. Here's Em Arlott for the first time in the tournament
END OF OVER:4 | 10 Runs | PAK-W: 24/0 (89 runs required from 27 overs, RR: 6.00, RRR: 3.29)
- Omaima Sohail10 (12b)
- Muneeba Ali8 (12b)
- Linsey Smith2-0-11-0
- Nat Sciver-Brunt2-0-13-0
