'Where on earth do they go from here?'
Could it have been fortune that was on England's side, or the simple unavoidable nature of scheduling an international cricket competition amid Sri Lanka's rainy period?
Either way, England got away with one against Pakistan on Wednesday - in a major way.
They were three wins from three, smoothly progressing through their initial pool matches with just winless Pakistan standing in their way to entering crucial encounters versus Indian and Australian teams unbeaten.
This should have represented straightforward progress: The English team has historically lost just one match against Pakistan, during a Twenty20 game in 2013, and not once in the 50-over format.
But instead of carrying forward their winning form toward those crucial matches against the tournament favourites, the team received a shock through a startling reality check.
England were thoroughly outplayed during twenty-five overs prior to the initial rainfall at the Colombo venue, slumping to 79-7 as Pakistan's seamers skillfully exploited a challenging yet manageable pitch, before the spinners got to work against the vulnerable English middle batting lineup.
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 juxtaposed by captain Fatima Sana's despondence as the Colombo outfield became submerged.
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.
Pakistan Expose 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, each offering different conditions demanding essentially learning on the job.
Against Sri Lanka just four days ago, the English played on a distinct pitch that provided turn, bounce with minimal assistance for fast bowlers. This one was different, and England's batters failed to adjust rapidly to its characteristics.
The Pakistani side possessed definite strategies and implemented them effectively, constantly challenging England's fragile defences through moving the ball sharply into the right-handers.
Diana Baig's dismissal of Tammy Beaumont deviated dramatically off the pitch, the opening batter attempting a dramatic non-shot only to see her off-stump being disturbed.
Sciver-Brunt's dismissal moved 2.5 degrees from the surface, comparable to the turn you would expect from an off-spinner, and the England skipper's reaction with open arms and astonished expression said it all - they probably had not prepared for nor expected this.
Amy Jones was also bowled by Fatima, that one moving two degrees from the surface, and the ball shaped 1.6 degrees for Heather Knight's lbw.
This marked the initial occasion in any format that an England top seven were all either bowled or leg-before since early twentieth century, demonstrating Pakistani bowling accuracy aiming consistently at the wickets.
Following England's reduced thirty-one over innings, they had faced sixty-one deliveries which would have hit the stumps. They surrendered eight batters to these deliveries while managing only twenty-three runs.
The Pakistani strategy was evident against England - deliver straight balls and try and angle the ball back into the leg area and wickets. The red dots indicate the precise locations of every successful bowling delivery
India and Australia Await Their Turn
'The English team faces multiple problems' - Lamb bowled by Sadia
The English squad journeys to Indore for their next two games to face their most challenging rivals against India this Sunday, and versus Australia October twenty-second.
Neither are ideal opponents to be facing with batting fragilities to address but the pitches there are anticipated as flatter and friendlier to batters.
Heather Knight's determined approach which rescued them versus Bangladesh and Sciver-Brunt's class ensured they posted a competitive score against Sri Lanka, 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 than their team-mates combined during this competition," Former championship player Alex Hartley commented on broadcast coverage. "That says something within itself, and both were absent in the first match. That represents a worry."
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 - however the coach's initial decision in charge was to show faith and re-promote Jones, and it feels unlikely she will disrupt the pair.
After Sciver-Brunt and Knight, the team's third-most productive player has been number eight Charlie Dean with a steady 27 not out in a tense chase against Bangladesh, a useful nineteen against Sri Lanka and she led scoring with thirty-three against Pakistan.
There have been glimpses of promise 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, each of their dismissals to spin, with the former being asked to play an unfamiliar role.
While occupying top-order positions, Lamb averages 44 over sixty-one 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 batting option among substitutes, having previously batted in middle positions for a number of years, so it will be interesting to observe the duration the Lamb experiment continues.
The English team might have avoided an embarrassing slip-up here, yet remains conscious that circumstances won't to get any easier.
Indian and Australian teams wait. Any wobbles against those two could see England's tournament could quickly fall flat.
