ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Fatima Sana won the toss and opted to bowl first against England in their Women’s World Cup clash on Wednesday at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
With conditions overcast but dry, Pakistan chose to make first use of what is expected to be a spin-friendly surface.
“The pitch looks good, and the spinners will want to take advantage,” Sana said at the toss. “We want to bat longer, build partnerships — and most importantly, finish off games.”
Pakistan made two changes to their XI, bringing back experienced campaigners Omaima Sohail at the top of the order and Aliya Riaz, who slots in at No. 4.
England, led by Nat Sciver-Brunt, would have preferred to bowl first too, but now face the task of setting a target in unfamiliar Colombo conditions.
Sciver-Brunt confirmed that Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone were ruled out due to illness, with Sarah Glenn and Em Arlott coming into the side. Despite the absences, England will rely on their bench strength to maintain balance.
"I try to start from the beginning, assess the conditions, and hopefully I can continue my form,” said Sciver-Brunt, who remains a key figure with both bat and ball.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: 1 Omaima Sohail, 2 Muneeba Ali, 3 Sidra Amin, 4 Aliya Riaz 5 Natalia Pervaiz, 6 Sidra Nawaz (wk), 7 Fatima Sana (capt), 8 Rameen Shamim, 9 Diana Baig, 10 Nashra Sandhu, 10 Sadia Iqbal
England: 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Emma Lamb, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sarah Glenn, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Em Arlott
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