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Was it luck favouring the English squad, or merely the inevitability when planning an international cricket competition during monsoon season?

In any case, England got away with one against Pakistan on Wednesday - in a major way.

The squad had been undefeated in three matches, smoothly progressing through their initial pool matches with just a struggling Pakistani side standing in their way to entering crunch matches versus Indian and Australian teams without a loss.

It should have been straightforward progress: England have only ever lost just one match against Pakistan, during a Twenty20 game in 2013, and never in One Day International cricket.

However, rather than taking momentum into those two big games versus the competition's top contenders, they have been jolted through a startling reality check.

The English side was completely dominated during twenty-five overs before the first bout of rain fell at the Colombo venue, collapsing to seventy-nine for seven while Pakistani fast bowlers expertly utilised a challenging yet manageable pitch, followed by spin bowlers taking over on England's fragile middle order.

Then the rain cruelly denied the Pakistani team a notable victory once the weather improved providing sixty minutes of opportunity and enough time to reach 34-0 in pursuit of 113, England's smiles of relief juxtaposed by skipper Fatima Sana's disappointment while the Colombo playing field flooded.

This was England's lucky escape and they have no choice but to learn from it.

From here on, they are unlikely to get away with another.

Pakistan Expose Obvious Vulnerability

The schedule for this World Cup is tricky. Focusing particularly on England, they are playing their preliminary matches across four different venues, each offering different conditions demanding essentially learning on the job.

Versus the Sri Lankan team merely ninety-six hours earlier, the English played on a distinct pitch but one which offered turn, bounce with minimal assistance for the seamers. This surface differed, and England's batters failed to adjust rapidly to its characteristics.

Pakistan had clear plans and executed them, consistently testing England's fragile defences by nipping the ball toward right-handed batters.

Diana Baig's successful delivery against Tammy Beaumont jagged back off the seam, the opener playing an extravagant leave only to see her off-stump being disturbed.

Sciver-Brunt's dismissal deviated two and a half degrees from the surface, not dissimilar to movement typically seen from an off-spinner, and the England skipper's reaction with open arms and astonished expression telling the complete story - they probably had not prepared for nor expected this.

Amy Jones was also bowled to Fatima's bowling, that one moving two degrees off the pitch, while another ball moved 1.6 degrees resulting in Heather Knight's leg-before decision.

It was the first time in any format where England's top seven batters had all been bowled or lbw since early twentieth century, demonstrating Pakistani bowling accuracy in targeting the stumps.

Following England's reduced thirty-one over innings, they had faced 61 balls that would have struck the wickets. They surrendered eight batters to them while managing only twenty-three runs.

Image source: Cricket Analytics/Broadcast

Australian and Indian Teams Await Their Turn

The English squad journeys to Indore for their next two games to take on their toughest opponents against India this Sunday, and versus Australia October twenty-second.

Neither are ideal opponents to encounter while batting weaknesses needing correction however the local pitches are expected to be more even and favorable for batting.

It was Knight's gritty determination which rescued them against Bangladesh and Sciver-Brunt's class guaranteed they achieved a winning total against the Sri Lankan side, yet when both departed quickly facing Pakistan, the English team couldn't rebound.

{"The English captain and vice-captain have accumulated greater runs between them compared to their teammates total at this tournament," Former championship player Alex Hartley said on broadcast coverage. "That says something within itself, and both were absent during the opening game. That is a concern."

Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones have faced difficulties versus moving deliveries - partnerships of six, twenty-four and thirteen after pursuing only seventy runs in their initial match versus South Africa - however the coach's initial decision was to demonstrate confidence and reinstate Jones, and it feels unlikely she'll separate the combination.

Following the top two batters, the team's third-most productive player has been number eight Charlie Dean with a steady 27 not out during a nervous run-chase versus Bangladesh, a handy 19 against Sri Lanka and she led scoring with thirty-three against Pakistan.

Occasional signs of potential from Alice Capsey at seven however Sophia Dunkley and Emma Lamb face difficulties beginning their batting versus spin bowling in the middle batting positions.

Emma Lamb has accumulated eighteen runs in three innings while Dunkley has 29, each of their dismissals to spin, with the former being asked to perform an unaccustomed position.

When batting in the top three, Lamb averages 44 in 61 innings including five hundreds. These three innings here represent her initial experience batting sixth professionally in the 50-over format.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge is England's unused batter on the bench, having previously batted in middle positions over several seasons, making it intriguing to observe the duration the Lamb experiment continues.

England may have dodged an embarrassing slip-up in this instance, yet remains conscious that circumstances won't become less challenging.

India and Australia await. Any stumbles versus these opponents and England's campaign could quickly fall flat.