SYDNEY, Australia, CMC – West Indies Women star Deandra Dottin has admitted going into depression because of a shoulder injury that kept her off the pitch for more than a year, but said advice from a member of the men’s squad helped her through it.
Dottin, who will resume playing with the regional side during an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup unofficial warm-up match against Pakistan today, suffered a serious injury to her right shoulder in early 2019 and underwent reconstructive surgery in June. She said that at some points during the agonising recovery process, she was on the brink of giving up. But conversations with people like West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph were a great help as she struggled through several months of rehabilitation.
“There were points when I felt like I was getting somewhere. But there were times when I took 50 steps back, and I was so close to a point when I said ‘that’s it’. I didn’t think I would get back with the West Indies, or even getting back playing cricket at all,” the 28-year-old all-rounder said.
“I felt so restless. I’m a very active person and I couldn’t run; it was just therapy back home. It was around that time when I started to get depressed. I didn’t even think I was going to be able to use my shoulder how I used to use it. I was so close to giving up and calling it a day.
“Speaking to people gave me a boost. I actually had a conversation with Alzarri as he had a similar injury to me. He felt the same way but he kept pushing and he gave me some tips on how to keep positive and keep on that track. I found ways to stay on the positive track,” Dottin added.
Having made significant progress, the Barbadian, who is destructive with the bat and one of the world’s fastest bowlers, is looking forward to putting on the maroon uniform again and contributing to her side’s Group B campaign with the ball.
She has played in all editions of the T20 World Cup to date and is the sixth-highest run-scorer and fifth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament’s history. Her match-turning spells in the competition include four for 12 against England in 2014, three wickets against India at home in 2016, and five for five against Bangladesh on home soil in the Caribbean in 2018.
Earlier this week, captain Stafanie Taylor described her as a vital member of the West Indies Women squad.
“The injury has obviously had a big impact on my bowling,” Dottin acknowledged. “Being able to come back and just be able to bat was massive, but the bowling is coming along good. I think that my shoulder is actually feeling stronger than it was before the injury. I feel very good about it.”
Her century against South Africa in 2010, the first by a woman in T20 International cricket, remains the fastest across the men’s or women’s game, having been reached in just 38 balls.
