Women's World Cup: Fatima Sana calls for better scheduling after another rain-hit washout in Colombo

Colombo, Oct 24 (IANS) Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana expressed her frustration after Colombo’s relentless rain continued to disrupt the ICC Women’s World Cup, as the 25th match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned after just 4.2 overs at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday night, calling for better planning in future tournaments. 

Persistent showers forced both teams to share a point each — marking the fifth washout in Colombo this tournament.

“I think the only thing that didn't go in our favour was the weather. I think ICC must arrange three good venues for the World Cup because we wait for four years to play in the World Cup,” she said.

Reflecting on Pakistan’s performance, she added, “I think we were very good in the bowling and fielding side, but we are lacking in the batting department. We were good in a couple of games. We gave a close fight to Australia and England, but unfortunately, we were unable to cross the main line.”

The 22-year-old captain also spoke about the learnings from her first global campaign in charge. “I think as the youngest captain of the team, I have learned a lot of learnings from the World Cup. We didn't play much cricket in the recent past. We need to play much more cricket. We have the T20 World Cup coming up next year. We should be ready for that one.”

Looking ahead, Fatima noted that Pakistan have two upcoming series and are waiting for the PCB’s schedule. On handling the pressures of captaincy, she said, “Pressure was always there, but I always watched Kane Williamson. He lost the World Cup very closely, but still, he managed to keep a smile on his face. I am just trying to be calm. When you are captaining a losing side, you need to have that belief in your team. Hopefully, we will do well in our upcoming games.”

She also shared a lighter moment from the tournament. “Before the national anthems, a little girl told me, ‘Please take my number and call me, I am your biggest fan.’ I was laughing as, throughout the tournament, I was always standing by her side. I really enjoyed her company,” Fatima recalled. “I was a net bowler in the West Indies in 2017, and Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin praised my bowling a lot in the net sessions. That boosted my confidence. If you are a good human being, these things help you a lot.”

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, meanwhile, chose to look ahead positively despite the string of weather-hit games. “Yeah, definitely. I try to control what I can control. As a team, the expectations are always high when we come to a World Cup. Unfortunately, we lost our first game against India and another against England. We made quite a few mistakes in the field, with the bat, and as a bowling unit. But we’re focusing on what we can do better in the future,” she said.

Chamari praised the balance on her side, adding, “We have some really talented young players, along with experienced senior players. The seniors always take the time to guide the youngsters, and as captain, I try to support all the girls. I always encourage them to play positive cricket—that’s my main focus.”

Reflecting on their progress, the 35-year-old noted, “We’ve played against South Africa, India, and New Zealand. Over the last 12 months, we’ve beaten some of these teams, and we even beat England in England in T20s. On any given day, the team that plays their best cricket will win. We need to improve our batting, especially in the longer format. I feel we’re very close to being among the top four teams, but we need to improve our cricket. The mistakes we made against India and England cost us those games.”

Despite the challenging conditions, Chamari reaffirmed her commitment to the team’s future. “I’ve played a couple of World Cups now, and at 35, I’m really looking forward to continuing to play and helping build a strong team for the future. These are definitely tough conditions, playing under lights and dealing with the rain, which makes things even harder. But we’ll keep working and see what we can achieve going forward.”

The washed-out fixture brings to a close Colombo’s wet and frustrating leg of the tournament. The remaining matches of the Women’s World Cup will now move to India, where players and fans will be hoping for clear skies and uninterrupted cricket.

--IANS

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