Deandra Dottin loves the big stage and on Wednesday afternoon she put in a big performance to power West Indies to a massive win over New Zealand in the opening round of the ICC Women’s World T20 tournament.
The 21-year-old world record holder slammed the bowling to all parts of the field in a brilliant unbeaten half-century, as Windies cruised to victory by seven wickets with 12 balls to spare. It was Dottin’s fifth half-century in T20Is and she ended on 58 not out off 42 balls with six fours and two sixes.
She came to the crease with West Indies two wickets down in the second over and added a match-winning 82 runs for the third wicket with the reliable Stafanie Taylor, who made 38.
Dottin was named Player of the Match and said her aim was to take on the bowlers and keep the Windies ahead after they limited New Zealand to 117-9 off 20 overs, with some good bowling and fantastic fielding.
“Things went really well in this match. We had momentum from the time we got on the bus to come to the ground. That led to us putting on a great display in the field and with the ball and that gave is the momentum when we went on to bat,” she said.
“I just went out and played my natural game. The plan was to punish the bad balls. Once the first few deliveries hit the middle of the bat, I got the confidence to play my shots. I just told myself I had to bat to the end, I decided to play each ball on its merit and look to hit the bad ball with meaning and into the gaps.”
The powerfully-built Dottin is a talented athlete, having represented Barbados in track and field and football. She was a schoolgirl and regional age group champion in javelin and shot putt.
She is the cousin of West Indies Men’s Head Coach Ottis Gibson, and holds several records in the ICC World T20 tournament. Back in 2009 she made the fastest half-century off just 22 balls against Australia at Taunton, England. In 2010 she made the fastest ever century off just 38 balls against South Africa at Warner Park, St Kitts.
“I don’t set my mind to break records or establish any feats, I just play my natural game and it comes off. I spend a lot of time in the gym as I try to get stronger and fitter. I like to hit the ball, but I see myself as more than just a power-hitter. Today I hit the ball through the gaps and we ran hard between the wickets,” Dottin said.
“Today, Stafanie played really well and she was there supporting me. She is a great team-mate and played an important role in helping me along. This win has set the stage for something big and we believe we can go on to win our other two matches and top the group. We played the team which everyone felt was the hardest team to beat in the group, so it is up to us now to continue the good work and get even better,” she added.
The West Indies will have a training session on Thursday before their second Group B match against Sri Lanka on Friday at Galle International Cricket Ground.
