Dottin vows bigger things to come

RENALDO MATADEEN

DEANDRA Dottin bowled off West Indies’ Women’s World Twenty20 (WT20) title defence in emphatic fashion in Guyana, on Friday night, and the Bajan all-rounder has vowed there’s a lot more to come.

After making just eight with the bat as the Windies limped to 106 for eight, Dottin scalped five for five to help bowl Bangladesh out for just 46, the lowest total ever in the tournament.

Her figures weren’t just a personal best, though, they were also a tournament record and the most impressive by a West Indian in the T20 format.

On her match-winning performance, she said, “That’s the good thing about being an all-rounder. When you don’t pick up in one area, you can pick up in the next. I didn’t pick up with the bat so, I knew that being one of the main bowlers, I had to come through with the ball.”

Speaking on the strategy on defending such a meagre total, she added it was pretty straightforward: “We had to bowl wicket to wicket. I knew we just needed to take wickets.” Dottin castled four of her five victims, also a record in the format, en route to the man-of-the-match title, reiterating why she was a key player in the WT20 title win two years ago and why she remains as such.

In terms of their score, Dottin maintained they never panicked because they knew once they crossed 100, the game was within reach.

“We knew the batters we had in the dugout and we knew they could take us across the line. We were positive that who was in the wicket could bring us to a total we could defend,” she continued, referencing Kycia Knight’s whirlwind 32 in the late stages, and captain Stafanie Taylor’s stabilising knock of 29.

She praised the Guyanese crowd for the support and urged fans in St Lucia to do the same for their next three group stage matches, something she believes is a major boost. With no Bangladeshi batsmen entering double figures, Dottin also hopes the Windies will continue to churn out disciplined showings like this as she thinks the side is in its prime.

“It’s not only about hitting all the boundaries and big sixes and stuff, running between the wickets is also crucial as well, so in that also (fitness)fills the basket,” Dottin added. She became the first player to notch two T20 international centuries to her name last year and promised “another two is coming,” reminding the opposition they are feeling no pressure when it comes to retaining their crown.