Persistent rain denied Pakistan a golden chance to achieve their historic victory against England for the first time in the international stage, as the ICC Women's World Cup encounter finished with a no-result on Wednesday. Pakistan's overall dominance would be wasted, as both sides took a point and Pakistan's slim chances of reaching the semi-final were dashed.

Captain Fatima Sana led from the front with a blistering performance that culminated in four wickets, keeping England to 133 for nine in a 31-over contest reduced to rain. Pakistan's disciplined bowling unit was ably supported by movement and inconsistent bounce to bring England's score to 79 for seven before the rain returned.

Pakistan’s hopes dashed by relentless rain

Chasing a revised DLS target of 113, openers Muneeba Ali (9) and Omaima Sohail (19) made a steady start, guiding Pakistan to 34 without loss in 6.4 overs before the heavens opened again. The downpour never relented, forcing the umpires to abandon the match and leaving Pakistan still winless at the bottom of the table with one point from four games.

Fatima Sana expressed her disappointment after the match, saying, “Today was the day we could beat them... it was not in our favour. I tried to bowl a good length and target the stumps, but it would have been good if we’d won.”

In the past, England's batters were left trying to battle against the seaming pitch, with only Charlotte Dean (33), Heather Knight (18) and Alice Capsey (16) offering any resistance. Diana Baig struck early, and Fatima then ripped to the middle order getting rid of Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Knight one after the other. Sadia Iqbal and Rameen Shamim then picked up two wickets each to put the screws on further.

The rain-curtailed game was the third washout of the tournament, after both matches Sri Lanka vs Australia and Sri Lanka vs New Zealand were abandoned. England moved to the top of the table with seven points on net run rate over Australia.