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Was it luck that was on England's side, or merely the inevitability of scheduling an international cricket competition amid Sri Lanka's rainy period?

In any case, the English team narrowly escaped against Pakistan this past Wednesday - big time.

They were three wins from three, cruising through their initial pool matches and only winless Pakistan blocking their path from going into crunch matches versus Indian and Australian teams without a loss.

It should have been smooth sailing: England have only ever lost just one match against Pakistan, in a T20 back in 2013, and not once in the 50-over format.

However, rather than carrying forward their winning form into those two big games versus the competition's top contenders, the team received a shock through a startling reality check.

England were thoroughly outplayed during twenty-five overs before the first bout of rain fell at the Colombo venue, slumping to 79-7 while Pakistani fast bowlers skillfully exploited a helpful but not unplayable surface, followed by spin bowlers taking over on England's fragile middle order.

Then the rain cruelly denied Pakistan a famous win after it cleared to give them an hour of hope and enough time to reach 34-0 in pursuit of 113, The English team's relieved expressions contrasted with captain Fatima Sana's despondence 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, it's improbable to get away with another.

Pakistan Expose Glaring Weakness

This tournament's fixture list presents challenges. Focusing particularly on England, the squad is competing in their preliminary matches at four separate locations, each offering different conditions which essentially requires 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 one was different, while English batters failed to adjust rapidly to it.

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

Diana Baig's dismissal against Tammy Beaumont deviated dramatically off the pitch, the opener playing an extravagant leave just to witness 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 off-spin bowling, and the England skipper's reaction arms outstretched and a look of disbelief telling the complete story - the team likely hadn't practiced for nor expected this.

Amy Jones was also bowled to Fatima's bowling, that delivery deviating two degrees from the surface, and the ball shaped one point six degrees for Heather Knight's lbw.

It was the first time across all cricket formats that an England top seven were all either bowled or leg-before since January 1908, testament to Pakistan's discipline in targeting the stumps.

By the end of England's revised 31 overs, the batting side encountered 61 balls which would have hit the stumps. They lost eight wickets to these deliveries while managing only twenty-three runs.

Image source: Cricket Analytics/Broadcast

India and Australia Await Their Turn

England travel to Indore for their next two games to face their most challenging rivals against India this Sunday, and versus Australia October twenty-second.

Both represent difficult opposition to encounter while batting fragilities to address however the local pitches are anticipated as flatter and friendlier to batters.

Heather Knight's determined approach that saved the team against Bangladesh and Sciver-Brunt's class ensured they posted a competitive score against Sri Lanka, but when both fell early against Pakistan, the English team couldn't rebound.

{"Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight have accumulated greater runs collectively compared to their teammates total during this competition," World Cup winner Alex Hartley said during match commentary. "This statistic speaks volumes, and neither of them batted during the opening game. That represents a worry."

Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones have faced difficulties versus moving deliveries - partnerships of six, twenty-four and thirteen after pursuing only seventy runs in the opener against South Africa - but Charlotte Edwards' first move was to demonstrate confidence and re-promote Jones, and it feels unlikely she will disrupt the pair.

After Sciver-Brunt and Knight, England's next best batter 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 top-scored with 33 against Pakistan.

Occasional signs of potential from Alice Capsey batting seventh but Sophia Dunkley and Emma Lamb are struggling to start their batting versus spin bowling in the middle batting positions.

Lamb has 18 runs across three batting attempts while Sophia Dunkley managed twenty-nine, each of their dismissals to spin, with Lamb being required to perform an unaccustomed position.

When batting in the top three, Lamb averages 44 in 61 innings with five centuries. These current three performances represent her initial experience at number six professionally in One Day International cricket.

Danielle Wyatt-Hodge represents England's unused batting option among substitutes, and played in the middle order for a number of years, so it will be interesting to see how long the Lamb trial persists.

The English team might have avoided a humiliating setback in this instance, yet remains conscious that circumstances won't to get any easier.

Indian and Australian teams wait. Any wobbles against those two and England's campaign could quickly fall flat.