West Indies beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in Bristol on Sunday to maintain their unbeaten start to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Hayley Matthews set up the result with 3/15 before Stafanie Taylor’s unbeaten 27 carried the chase home, according to the ICC’s match report from Sunday’s double-header.
Sri Lanka never fully recovered from a brutal powerplay after choosing to bat. Matthews removed Vishmi Gunarathne in the opening over, then struck again to dismiss Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama as West Indies reduced Sri Lanka to 23/4.
Matthews keeps West Indies on semi-final course
Nilakshika Silva’s 30 from 26 balls gave Sri Lanka something to defend, but the total of 99 always looked short once West Indies settled. Matthews was run out during the chase and Deandra Dottin also fell inside the powerplay, yet Taylor’s calm finish and her 29-run stand with Jannillea Glasgow ensured West Indies reached 99/5 in 16.1 overs.
The result leaves West Indies with three wins from three in Group B, behind England only on net run rate. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have now lost two of their first three matches and face a far steeper route into the semi-finals. For Matthews, it was another captain’s performance in a tournament that is already tilting towards sides with reliable all-round options.
