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Was it luck that was on England's side, or merely the inevitability of scheduling an international cricket competition during monsoon season?

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

They were undefeated in three matches, smoothly progressing through the group stage with just a struggling Pakistani side standing in their way from going into crucial encounters against India and Australia without a loss.

It should have been smooth sailing: England have only ever lost just one match against Pakistan, in a T20 in 2013, and not once in One Day International cricket.

But instead of carrying forward their winning form into those two big games against the tournament favourites, the team received a shock through a startling reality check.

The English side was completely dominated during twenty-five overs before the first bout of rain fell in Colombo, 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.

Subsequently, precipitation unfairly prevented the Pakistani team a notable victory after it cleared to give them an hour of hope with sufficient duration to reach 34-0 in pursuit of 113, The English team's relieved expressions juxtaposed by skipper Fatima Sana's disappointment while the Colombo playing field flooded.

This represented England's fortunate reprieve and they have no choice but to learn from it.

Moving forward, they are unlikely they'll escape another such situation.

Pakistani Team Reveals Glaring Weakness

The schedule for this World Cup is tricky. Looking at England specifically, the squad is competing in their preliminary matches across four different venues, all providing varying playing conditions demanding essentially adaptation during matches.

Versus the Sri Lankan team merely ninety-six hours earlier, England were on a different surface but one which offered spin and lift with minimal assistance for the seamers. This surface differed, while English batters did not adapt quickly enough to its characteristics.

The Pakistani side possessed definite strategies and implemented them effectively, constantly challenging the English team's vulnerable batting through moving the ball sharply into the right-handers.

Diana Baig's dismissal against Tammy Beaumont deviated dramatically off the pitch, the opener playing a dramatic non-shot 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 an off-spinner, and the England skipper's reaction arms outstretched and astonished expression said it all - they probably had not prepared for or anticipated such conditions.

Amy Jones similarly lost her wicket by Fatima, that delivery deviating two degrees from the surface, while another ball moved 1.6 degrees resulting in Heather Knight's leg-before decision.

This marked the initial occasion in any format that an England top seven had all been bowled or lbw since January 1908, testament to Pakistan's discipline in targeting the stumps.

Following England's reduced thirty-one over innings, the batting side encountered sixty-one deliveries that would have struck the wickets. They surrendered eight batters to these deliveries while managing only twenty-three runs.

Image source: Cricket Analytics/Broadcast

India and Australia Lie in Wait

The English squad journeys to Indore for their next two games to take on their toughest opponents against India this Sunday, and Australia on 22 October.

Both represent difficult opposition to be facing with batting fragilities to address 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 Nat Sciver-Brunt's quality guaranteed they achieved a competitive score against the Sri Lankan side, but when both fell early against Pakistan, England could not recover.

{"The English captain and vice-captain have accumulated greater runs between them compared to their teammates total during this competition," World Cup winner Alex Hartley said during match commentary. "That says something within itself, and both were absent during the opening game. That is a concern."

Beaumont and Jones have struggled against the swinging ball - partnerships of six, twenty-four and thirteen following the chase of just 70 in the opener against South Africa - but Charlotte Edwards' first move was to demonstrate confidence and reinstate Jones, and it feels unlikely she will disrupt the pair.

Following the top two batters, the team's third-most productive player has been number eight Charlie Dean scoring a solid twenty-seven not out in a tense chase against Bangladesh, a useful nineteen against Sri Lanka and she top-scored with 33 versus Pakistan.

Occasional signs of potential from Alice Capsey batting seventh however Sophia Dunkley and Emma Lamb face difficulties beginning their innings against spin in the middle order.

Lamb has 18 runs across three batting attempts while Dunkley has 29, both losing their wickets to spin, with the former being asked to play an unfamiliar role.

While occupying top-order positions, Lamb averages 44 in 61 innings with five centuries. These current three performances represent her initial experience batting sixth professionally in One Day International cricket.

Danielle Wyatt-Hodge represents England's unused batter on the bench, 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 here, yet remains conscious that circumstances won't become less challenging.

India and Australia await. Any wobbles against those two and England's campaign rapidly deteriorate.