West Indies Women vs Sri Lanka Women, 17th Match, Group B, ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 - CommentaryWIW vs SLW, 17th Match, Group B, ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 - Commentary

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Hayley Matthews | West Indies skipper: [On winning the toss and bowling first] I think it was a crucial toss for sure. We definitely felt like we had a bit of tennis ball bounce early on. So yeah, really good that we got to go to the ball and take advantage of that. [On bringing in Munisar and the tactical decision to play an extra spinner] I think a bit of the tactical awareness against a team like Sri Lanka, but also certainly feel like we have enough batters down the line. And I guess having that extra spinner could have really made a difference, which sure today. [On losing wickets during the chase and whether there was pressure in the camp] Certainly no pressure. We were at 36 after six overs. We’re right on top of the game. Stafanie at the crease and we had players like Alleyne still to come in as well. So I don’t think we had any nerves at any point in time. Probably would have liked to chase it down a bit more convincingly, but I think chasing totals like that can always be a bit tricky. But at the same time, like I said earlier, I certainly feel like our batters are going to have opportunities to peak at the right time. And what’s really important is that we’re winning matches right now. [On her career-best T20 World Cup figures of 3 for 15 and bowling in the powerplay] It was really crucial for us to get some early wickets. We know Sri Lanka’s really big batters are the ones at the top of the order with their two left-handers at Chamari and the other one as well. So, yeah, I think for us, we just really wanted to get some early wickets and it gave me the flexibility to be able to go hard in the power play and bowl a few overs with Munisar coming in as well. [On West Indies winning three matches from three] It puts us in a really good place. You know, going into the next match against England, I think we’ve got high confidence. But yeah, I certainly feel like if we can win one more game here, it gets us into the semifinals. So, yeah, a lot of confidence going into the next two matches, but still just want to take it one game at a time.

Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lankan skipper: [On Sri Lanka’s batting performance and the total they managed] The wicket is a little bit sticky today and the ball a little bit and the tennis ball bounce, so I feel the West Indies bowling according to their plans and according to their condition. Yeah, we have not executed our plans in the power play. We lost a couple of wickets early and throughout the game we struggled as a batting unit. So I feel we need, if we, we have to score 140 plus, otherwise we can’t defend against this West Indies team. But unfortunately, we lost a couple of wickets and we struggled a lot in the middle. [On the bowling effort] Yeah, definitely our bowlers bowled in right line and length, but some extras also given there, so, but the thing is, the 100 is not enough to defend. So we need to score more runs, otherwise we can’t blame the bowlers. [On the positives from the match] So definitely our bowling department done a really good job for us, but we need to improve our batting before next game.

Hayley Matthews | Player of the Match: [On her bowling performance] Well, I had the opportunity to start things off with the ball, and yeah, I felt like I wanted to hopefully get the team off to a really good start, and we knew early wickets were going to be crucial against a team like Sri Lanka. Yeah, I think the wicket really favored the spin style of bowling a lot. So yeah, thankfully I was able to put it on the spot and get a couple early on. [On bringing Ashmini into the side and using four spinners] Well, I think looking at the lineup of Sri Lanka, they do have a lot of left-handers within their side. And we felt like someone like Ashmini could make a massive difference with her off-spin and the way she bowls. So she came in today and performed wonderfully as well. And yeah, kudos to her. I think coming in for her first World Cup match and playing how she did. [On the batting performance in the chase of 99] I think it’s okay. Like, at the end of the day, we got over the line. I don’t feel like there was any point in time where we thought we weren’t going to get any runs. Yes, we lost five wickets, but we were still in a very comfortable position throughout the innings. And I certainly feel like if we’re batting the way we are right now or playing the way we are right now and getting over the line when we have some of our batters peaking at the right time, it might be good for us. [On having her father in the crowd] He’s always here at the ground supporting. So yeah, good that I could get one in front of him.

23 extras conceded by SL-W today is the second-most conceded in a Women's T20 WC innings after 24 by SA-W against SL-W at Gros Islet in 2018.

Third successive wins for WI-W against SL-W in four T20 World Cup matches. The only defeat for them came in the 2012 edition.

13:42 local, 12:42 GMT, 18:12 IST: 23 extras. At least 3 dropped catches. And a couple of missed run-out chances. Defending a well-below par total, Sri Lanka needed to be really tight with the ball and despite getting the top 3 quite cheaply, they did not have enough runs on the board to create panic. The missed chances only aggravated matters further. All in all, a superb win for the West Indies as they go 3/3 in this World Cup. Stick around for the post-match reactions...