Controversy over Hayley Matthews’ wicket as England beat West Indies:Hosts qualify for Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals

England women have become the first team to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026, beating the West Indies by 38 runs at Lord’s in London on 24 June. In response to England’s 187-run target, the West Indies could manage just 148 runs. However, a controversy erupted in this match when West Indies captain Hayley Matthews was given out caught behind. The on-field umpire initially gave her not out, but after England took DRS, the third umpire overturned the decision based on a spike in UltraEdge. However, questions arose about the decision as she was given out despite a clear gap visible between the ball and the bat in the replay. Decision changed in review, replay and UltraEdge signals did not match This incident occurred in the fourth over of the West Indies’ innings. Hayley Matthews missed a cut shot off Linsey Smith’s delivery, and the ball went into wicketkeeper Amy Jones’ gloves. On England’s appeal, on-field umpire N Janani gave her not out, after which captain Charlie Dean took DRS. Third umpire Nimali Perera saw in the replay that the ball passed very close to the bat, but there was no clear indication of the ball hitting the bat. Subsequently, an audio signal appeared in UltraEdge, while the front-on replay of the same frame showed a clear gap between the bat and the ball. Perera also acknowledged this gap but, based on UltraEdge, assumed contact and overturned the on-field umpire’s decision, declaring Hayley Matthews out. Matthews expressed displeasure over the decision, discussed with coach and reserve umpire Hayley Matthews looked surprised and angry after being given out. Before leaving the field, she expressed her disagreement with the on-field umpires. After reaching the dugout, she watched the video replay of the incident with head coach Shane Deitz and then had a long discussion about the decision with reserve umpire Kerin Klaaste, who was at the boundary. Meanwhile, during commentary, broadcaster Ebony Rainford-Brent said that she did not hear any sound of the ball hitting the bat on the stump microphone. Wyatt-Hodge and Knight steadied England’s innings England had a poor start. Amy Jones was out for 1 and Sophia Dunkley for 11 runs quickly. After this, Danni Wyatt-Hodge played a brilliant innings of 65 runs off 42 balls and added 65 runs for the third wicket with Alice Capsey (26). Captain Heather Knight scored 43 runs to take the team to 186 runs for 7 wickets. With this innings, Wyatt-Hodge also became the highest run-scorer in the tournament. Henry’s fifty also could not save West Indies from defeat Chasing a target of 187 runs, West Indies did not get off to a good start. Deandra Dottin tried to score runs quickly, but Charlie Dean caught her while attempting a big shot. Thereafter, Dean and Sophie Ecclestone kept West Indies under pressure by taking wickets at regular intervals. However, Chinelle Henry and Jahzara Claxton tried to steady the team with a 63-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Henry scored an unbeaten 51 runs, but West Indies could only manage 148 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs and lost the match by 38 runs. Matthews said – I told the umpire that the ball was far from the bat After the match, in the press conference, Hayley Matthews said, “While playing the cut shot, I heard a sound, but I thought it was from the bat’s handle or something else. I immediately told the on-field umpire that the ball was quite far from the bat.” She said that the replay clearly showed a gap between the bat and the ball, but the third umpire has to make a decision based on the available technology. ‘They got a sound signal in UltraEdge, so ultimately I had to respect their decision.’ On form, she said – I have to score runs, but now the team doesn’t depend on one player After scoring 48 runs in the first match against New Zealand, Matthews has not been able to play consistently big innings. Against England, she scored 14 runs off 17 balls, while against Scotland and Sri Lanka, she could only manage 14 and 17 runs respectively. On her form, she said, ‘I need to score runs. Deandra Dottin is also probably not in her best form, but despite that, the team is winning matches and giving tough competition. It’s a good thing that our team is no longer dependent on the performance of one or two players.’ Semifinal Equation: Defeating Ireland will secure a ticket to the final-4 Despite the loss, West Indies remains in second place in Group-2 with 3 wins and 6 points from 4 matches. Meanwhile, hosts England have already reached the semifinals with four consecutive wins. West Indies’ last group match is against Ireland on Saturday. If they win, the team will directly reach the semi-finals. However, in case of a loss, New Zealand and Sri Lanka’s hopes will remain alive, and the race for the semi-finals could come down to net run rate (NRR).