Women's T20 World Cup: Hayley Matthews breaks silence on controversial DRS call vs England

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews said that she has to respect the controversial decision given by the third umpire to adjudge her out during Match 22 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Lord’s. Matthews was batting alongside her opening partner, Deandra Dottin, with West Indies chasing a massive target of 187.

However, Matthews had to return to the pavilion cheaply for 14 (17), following a controversial DRS decision. During the fourth over of the innings, Matthews tried to cut left-arm spinner Linsey Smith but missed the ball. England’s stand-in captain Charlotte Dean went for a review after being convinced by wicketkeeper Amy Jones.

On replays, there was a clear gap between the bat and ball, but the UltraEdge showed a clear spike as the ball went past the bat. Third umpire Nimali Perera went through the replays thoroughly and eventually concluded that there was enough evidence to give the decision in England’s favour.

Matthews was displeased with the decision and continued to show her disappointment on the sidelines and was also seen in discussion with reserve umpire Kerrin Klaaste outside the boundary's edge.

After the game, the West Indies skipper revealed that she had heard a sound far away from the ball after playing the shot and even told the same to the on-field umpires.

"When I cut at the ball, I heard something which I thought was probably my bat handle or something like that, and I immediately went to the on-field umpires and told them that I heard a noise. I certainly felt like I was far away from the ball, and I let them know what the case was, but the third umpire obviously has a decision to make,” Matthews said in the post-match press conference.

She reiterated that there was a clear gap between the bat and ball, but respected the umpire’s decision.

West Indies suffer first defeat

"I felt like you could have seen a clear gap between bat and ball, but at the same time, [the TV umpire] has got to work with the technology that there is, and she saw a spike, and at the end of the day, I'm going to have to respect that,” she added.

Meanwhile, West Indies could only score 148/5 in their allotted 20 overs, chasing 187 against England. Only Chinelle Henry (51* off 30) put up some fight for her team with a gutsy half-century as West Indies lost by 38 runs, suffering their first defeat of the tournament. They’re still comfortably placed second in the Group B points table and are in a good position to qualify for the semi final.