Magical Dottin gives Windies winning start

SYLHET, Bangladesh,  CMC – The mercurial Deandra Dottin produced one of her moments of brilliance, rocking England Women with an incisive spell to set up a nine-run victory, as West Indies Women made a winning start to their World Twenty20 campaign here yesterday.

Defending a moderate 133 for seven at the Sylhet Stadium, West Indies restricted England to 124 for nine, with Dottin snatching a career-best four for 12 from four outstanding overs of seam.

With captain Charlotte Edwards anchoring the run chase, England seemed to be en route to victory at 80 for two in the 12th over but Dottin’s spell spectacularly turned the game on its head.

She quickly knocked over Edwards for 44 off 37 balls as England lost five wickets for 17 runs in quick time, to lose their way. Requiring 18 from the last over, England got a four from the first ball but then lost two wickets, as any hopes of victory disappeared.

Earlier, Stafanie Taylor top scored with 56 from 45 balls and Kycia Knight, 43 from 42 deliveries, as they got the Windies Women up and running with an opening stand of 87, after being sent in.

The prolific Taylor stroked three fours and two sixes off 45 balls while Knight, the more sedate of the two, faced 42 balls with an identical boundary count to that of Taylor’s.

West Indies were kept quiet in the opening overs before Taylor broke the shackles by clearing the ropes with Anya Shrubsole off the final delivery of the third over.

They kept the scoreboard ticking over, upping the ante in the 11th over when both batsmen cleared the boundaries with 19-year-old left-arm pacer Jodie Dibble, in an over that cost 14 runs.

Once Knight fell to seamer Jenny Gunn in the 13th over, however, West Indies innings went into terminal decline. Taylor and Dottin struck a few lusty blows in adding 21 from 14 deliveries for the second wicket, but Dottin’s demise for nine in the 15th over saw the Windies lose six wickets for 29 runs.

Seamer Natalie Sciver was England’s best bowler with three for 18.

England then got a strong start from the experienced duo of Edwards and Sarah Taylor (17), racing to 42 off 32 balls. Even when Taylor was run out through good work from Dottin and Lydia Greenway (14) followed at 63 for two in the eighth over, England were still in the hunt as Edwards stood firm.

However, Dottin entered the attack in the 12th over of the innings and had immediate success when she bowled Sciver for seven with her fifth delivery.

She then struck with the first ball of her next over, removing the dangerous Tammy Beaumont for two but it was with the final ball of her third over that she got the big breakthrough, having Edwards caught at the wicket at 94 for five.

Two more quick strikes saw England further stumble to 97 for seven in the 18th over, and West Indies then held their nerve to formalise the result.