Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 results: Sri Lanka’s final group game against Pakistan abandoned after rain

When rain disrupted the game in the fifth over, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu initially refused to leave the field and stood her ground.

While the Pakistan openers and her own team-mates hurried off for cover, Athapaththu lingered near the pitch hoping for the skies to clear, before being forced to withdraw as the rain intensified.

Athapaththu turns 36 in February and might have played the final World Cup game of her career.

For a player who has carried Sri Lanka’s hopes on the world stage for more than a decade, it was a cruel ending.

“I tried to control what I can,” she said after the game.

“I am 35 years old now and have played a couple of World Cups. I am still looking forward to playing some more cricket.”

This World Cup played during the rainy season in Sri Lanka has denied many players, after years dreaming of such a stage, the chance to script defining chapters in their careers.

Just ask New Zealand captain Sophie Devine, who fought back tears during a news conference after her side were eliminated by India.

Devine, 35, will retire from ODI cricket after New Zealand’s final group game against England on Sunday.

Rain was the White Ferns’ biggest villain in the tournament after their matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Colombo were abandoned, which left them needing wins against India and England to keep semi-final hopes alive. Thursday’s defeat by India ruled out that prospect.

When the world champions are crowned on 2 November, many will feel that it wasn’t just the bat and ball but the skies that shaped this tournament.