England coach Charlotte Edwards says they “got away with it” after the washout against Pakistan, but insists their best is still to come.
Pakistan, who are bottom of the Women’s World Cup table, reduced England to 79-7 and then reached 34-0 in pursuit of 113 to win before rain rescued Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side from a shocking defeat.
Edwards says they have reflected and moved on from that match in Colombo, but is hoping for an improved performance as they take on co-hosts India in a crunch fixture on Sunday.
“We haven’t played our best cricket, which is think encouraging for us as a group and we get to play now against some of the best teams in the world,” Edwards told BBC Sport.
“So I think we’re ready to take that challenge on.
“We were outplayed against Pakistan and we know that, we’ve spoken about it. We did get away with it, but we’ve got to move on.”
England are in a commanding position to reach the semi-finals, likely to only need one win from their last three to confirm their spot, but their results so far have flattered them, particularly in the batting department.
Since the dominant opening win against South Africa, England were 78-5 against Bangladesh, a standalone Sciver-Brunt masterclass ensured a comfortable win against Sri Lanka and then came the lucky escape against Pakistan.
“We probably weren’t as adaptable as I’d have liked,” Edwards added.
“I think there’s been some concerns around our batting, but I haven’t got many. When I came into this role it was about winning first and foremost, and the only game that we haven’t played well is against Pakistan.”
The real test begins now. India have been inconsistent so far but are expecting a sellout crowd in Indore, and impressed beat England away from home this summer.
On Wednesday is the tantalising grudge match, with England face defending champions Australia – the first time they have played one another since the Ashes humiliation at the start of this year before Edwards took charge.
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