Players Frustrated as Rain Halts Colombo World Cup Games

News Desk 

Colombo: Fans and players at the ongoing Women’s Cricket World Cup in Colombo have spent much of the tournament battling rain rather than enjoying cricket, with five of the nine matches in the Sri Lankan capital affected and four ending in no result.

Former England spinner Alex Hartley described the conditions as “ruining” the World Cup. “You have a tournament in Sri Lanka during monsoon season, it pretty much rains at the same time every single day,” said Hartley, a 2017 World Cup winner, on BBC Radio 5 Live. “It’s been a real shame.”

October is Sri Lanka’s monsoon season, with 300-370mm of rain expected across the month. All but two of Sri Lanka’s group matches are being played at R. Premadasa Stadium, which is also hosting all of Pakistan’s fixtures due to ongoing political tensions with India, the host of the majority of the tournament.

Pakistan, sitting at the bottom of the tournament standings, has seen two of its games—including a strong position against England—washed out, raising fears of early elimination. New Zealand has also suffered rain disruptions in their past two matches.

“It’s extremely frustrating. You wait four years for a World Cup and to suffer through the rain,” said New Zealand captain Sophie Devine. “I hope future editions consider playing earlier in the day, because evening rain is very predictable here.”

England coach Charlotte Edwards also expressed concern over the scheduling. “You want to play as much cricket as possible. I just hope teams get some games this week, because it’s frustrating that they haven’t so far,” she said.

Most matches in Colombo are scheduled as day-nighters, starting at 10:30 BST (15:00 local), a timing criticized by players as vulnerable to evening showers. England’s clash with Pakistan saw them slip to 133-9 before the game was called off during Pakistan’s chase.

If Pakistan qualifies for the knockout stages, future matches in Colombo would continue. However, given their current position, only two more matches are likely to be staged there: Pakistan vs South Africa on Tuesday and Sri Lanka vs Pakistan on Friday. Input from BBC website.