CPL 2026 – Chris Green and Jason Holder criticized the referee after the Johnson Charles no-ball incident

Simon Helmuth of the Patriots’ support staff protested with reserve referee Gregory Brathwaite on the sidelines. There was a buzz in the stands – Basseterre is the Patriots’ home stadium – and oddly enough, the replay continued to play, with the Tridents players waiting. Suddenly, the giant screen flashed “Not Out.”
Charles returned, after Tuckett reviewed the incident again and rescinded his decision.
This in turn led to Green and Rutherford, among other Tridents players, going to the on-field umpires, but the decision was made. And the free kick was smashed for six, rubbing salt in the Tridents’ wounds.
“From the beginning, I thought it was a no-go because it’s all about the point of contact, and I thought it was a no-go there and then,” Charles said on the broadcast after giving the Patriots their second win in the contest. “But you know, some controversies livened up the game, and it’s all up to the referees.”
Charles might have made light of the situation, but Green was having none of it. He said: “The referees tonight, I thought they managed the match poorly with this decision in the way the player leaves the field and then returns to it.” “I think this matter needs to be studied, and this is not a good look for this tournament.”
Green added that there was “no communication” from the referees about what happened.
“Look, I wasn’t there [in the middle]so I really have no reason to comment. “But to me, it’s very messy,” Holder said. “In the Caribbean, we don’t want to see these things happen. This is probably a wake-up call for referees to be more assertive and more decisive when it comes to decision-making.
“It’s not good to see a player come off the field and then be called up again.”
“Well, yeah, I’m a little late to the party,” Charles joked after the match. “I have to say I was seeing the ball pretty big and I was in good form. Confidence is high, but it wasn’t coming, and that’s cricket. You know, that’s how the game goes. But I’m happy that I’m back and doing good things for the team. Even if I’m late to the party, I just hope I can put the team in a very good position.”




