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COLOMBO: A torrential downpour once again called the tune in Colombo as the Women’s Cricket World Cup fixture between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was abandoned after just 4.2 overs on Friday.

Heavy rain refused to relent, leaving players and fans drenched in disappointment. It was the last game in the Colombo leg of the tournament.

Of the 11 matches staged in the Sri Lankan capital, five ended in no-results, forcing teams to split points.

Several other games too were rain-disrupted, prompting questions as to whether Colombo’s monsoon-prone month was the right window to stage a global event.

Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka have borne the brunt of inclement weather, with three of their seven outings each washed down the drain.

On Friday, the toss was delayed by more than three hours and the game was trimmed to 34 overs per side.

Pakistan had reached 18 without loss when the heavens opened again. Despite the tireless efforts of the ground staff, match officials finally threw in the towel at 8:00 p.m. local time with parts of the outfield still under water.

Sri Lanka climbed to fifth in the points table with five points, courtesy of one win and a point each from their three washed out games.

They will stay there if England defeat New Zealand on Sunday, ensuring the islanders finish above the White Ferns. It’s a commendable outcome for a side that had failed to qualify for the previous World Cup in New Zealand in 2022.

“We cannot control the weather. It has been very disappointing. We came into this tournament with lots of hope as we had beaten teams like India, New Zealand and South Africa in the recent past. But not much went our way in this campaign,” Sri Lanka’s captain Chamari Athapaththu said.

Pakistan ended their campaign without a single win, finishing in seventh place, one ahead of Bangladesh in the eight nation competition with all their points coming through rain affected games.

“The weather didn’t go in our favor. ICC must look into the best venues for World Cups. We are waiting for four years for a World Cup and it’s disappointing to finish like this,” Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces killed eight militants in an intelligence-based operation in the restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military’s media wing said on Friday, vowing to completely eliminate extremist violence from the country.

The operation in the Tank district led to a heavy exchange of fire with militants that Pakistan claims are backed by neighboring India who frequently launch attacks on security forces, law enforcement personnel and civilians. New Delhi denies the claim.

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp increase in militant violence in KP, which borders Afghanistan, and struggled against groups like the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella network of various armed groups, which the government calls “khwarij.”

The term is rooted in early Islamic history and used to describe an extremist sect that rebelled against legitimate authority and declared other Muslims to be apostates.

“On 24 October 2025, on reported presence of Khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy, Fitna al Khwarij, Security Forces conducted an intelligence based operation in Tank District,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

“During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged khwarij locations, and after an intense fire exchange, eight Indian sponsored khwarij were sent to hell.”

Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain militants, it continued, adding that a “sanitization operation” was underway to eliminate any remaining militants in the area.

Last week, the government said Pakistan had killed 30 TTP militants in multiple operations in North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Bannu districts of KP.

Earlier this month, 19 TTP militants and 11 security personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major of the Pakistan Army, were also killed in an overnight gunbattle in KP’s Orakzai district.

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of allowing the use of their soil to carry out attacks inside Pakistan, though Kabul denies the allegation.