Matthews, Taylor make it three in three for West Indies

Jun 22, 2026 Sports

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ESPNcricinfo – West Indies spinners set up a third straight victory as they strangled Sri Lanka’s batters before Stafanie Taylor steadied a nervy chase to see them home by five wickets in Bristol. The result brings the West Indies joint-top of Group 2 with England – only trailing on net run rate – while Sri Lanka’s hopes of progression took a bashing.

Hayley Matthews was central to West Indies’ effort, arguably setting up the win inside the opening powerplay. Having put Sri Lanka into bat, the West Indies reduced them to 24 for 4 inside the powerplay, a position from which Sri Lanka never truly recovered. Mathews picked up innings best figures of 3 for 15.

Then with the bat, Matthews did her part in a 28-run opening stand with Deandra Dottin, and while Sri Lanka plugged away with wickets through the middle overs, a combination of poor catching, excess extras and Taylor’s stewardship ensured West Indies’ chase was never truly under threat.

Profligacy costs SL

Even on a surface where batting isn’t the easiest, any opportunities need to be grabbed when defending a sub-par total – which is precisely what Sri Lanka had managed having been bowled out for 98.

Sri Lanka however struggled to capitalise on the opportunities afforded to them, while simultaneously gifting too many free runs. Twenty-three extras were given away across the innings, with 13 of those coming in wides.

Moreover, Sri Lanka dropped three catches across the innings – two of them coming shortly after the fall of a wicket; momentum is everything in a low-scoring game, and Sri Lanka were guilty of giving it up too easily. There were also a handful of close run-out chances that went begging.

It meant that West Indies, who had looked uneasy across their chase, were not punished for their mistakes – which in itself was a result of mistakes induced by the pressure created by the Sri Lankan bowlers and fielders outside of their costly errors.

Cool Taylor sees it through

Having someone with the experience of Taylor in the middle order would be a boon for most any side, and she showed her value once again on Sunday. After a solid opening stand, West Indies had slipped from 2 for 36 to 5 for 70. Another couple of wickets and those remaining 29 runs might have felt closer to 50.

However, Taylor offered just the calmness required in such a situation, content to deftly rotate the strike and ensure there were no further hiccups. Her six off a free hit was the only six of the game, but highlighted her ability to capitalise on the situation at hand. Fittingly she struck the winning runs – tellingly, dropped at midwicket.

WI nail the matchup

Sri Lanka average barely over 6 an over against spin since the end of the last T20 World Cup, and West Indies were well-suited to exploit that potential weakness with a team stacked with spin options.

First on that list was skipper Matthews, who opened the bowling and struck three times in a three-over spell inside the powerplay. On a surface that was tacky, she cleverly didn’t attempt to do too much, simply keeping her lines and lengths tidy.

In a period that crippled the Lankan innings before it had even truly begun, Vishmi Gunaratne offered up a leading edge – one spectacularly plucked out of the sky by Matthews – before Chamari Athapaththu went far too early on a pull as she saw her left bail dislodged. Harshitha Samarawickrama meanwhile was done in by some extra bounce, which meant she struggled to keep down a cut straight to point.

When Chinelle Henry had Imesha Dulani caught at mid-on, Sri Lanka had lost their fourth wicket inside the powerplay with just 24 runs on the board.

Ashmini Munisar – drafted into XI to add even more spin options – and Karishma Ramharack picked up three wickets between them as well, as Sri Lanka lost seven of their 10 wickets to spin, eventually being bowled out for 98 with two balls to spare.

Nilakshika provides sole spark

With the top and middle order offering little by way of impetus, a rescue job for the ages was needed and Nilakshika de Silva set about her task.

Her 30 off 26 came largely came across two stands of 34 and 23 with Kavisha Dilhari and Kawya Kavindi. Those were two of just three double-digit partnerships across the Sri Lankan innings, as Sri Lanka’s innings stuttered into gear.

But once Nilakshika fell, looking to take on the fielder at deep square leg, the innings once more ground to a halt. Sri Lanka managed 60 for 3 in the middle overs, but without Nilakshika the death overs fetched just 15, as West Indies’ spinners solidified their hold on the game.

Scores: West Indies 99 for 5 (Taylor 35*, Dilhari 2-22) beat Sri Lanka 98 (Nilakshika 30, Matthews 3-15) by five wickets.

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• spinners, Sri Lanka, Stafanie Taylor, West Indies, Women T20 World Cup

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