By Srian Obeyesekere

As Sri Lanka prepare to take on Pakistan today, whatever mathematical hopes Chamari Athapaththu’s team had of making the last four of theo 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup evaporated following India’s 53 run triumph over New Zealand yesterday to cementing the final spot of the four semi finalists.
The Lankans outside chances of making it in a tournament where incessant rains have stomped all but two of their past games, finally boiled down much to the outcome of other tournament results with mainly New Zealand having to beat India.
With the Indians, pushed back by three defeats to Australia, South Africa and England, yesterday’s canter in a high scoring make or break shoot over New Zealand of the host nation keeping their cup hopes alive, good as put paid to Sri Lanka’s largely mathematical chances of going through on a wafer thin solitary win in the face of three defeats for 4 points, 2 of which from rain washout no results. Invariably, today’s Sri Lanka-Pakistan Colombo segment game at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium would thus be of academic interest in a more or less Asian flexing of muscles for two battered and bruised sides.

If the highly monsoonal rains reign in a shared points ending, Pakistan will be the only winless team in the tournament.