Dottin’s unbeaten 37-ball 67 propelled Manchester Originals’ to 156-2 from their 100 balls.
Dottin, who recently retired from international cricket and Sophie Ecclestone, who made an unbeaten 36, were mainly responsible for MO’s winning total after they lost opener, Emma Lamb, for 35 and Lizelle Lee for just three.
Alex Hartley had the best figures for Welsh Fire with 1-17 from 20 balls while Annabel Sutherland took 1-33 from her 20-ball allotment.
Needing 157, Welsh Fire made a fist of it, scoring 145-3, thanks mainly to the efforts of openers Tammy Beaumont who scored 45 from 42 balls with five fours and Hayley Matthews, who smashed 69 from 41 balls, blazing 12 fours along the way.
Dottin dismissed Racheal Haynes for 11 and Sutherland for 0 as the Welsh Fire chase fizzled, to return figures of 2-21 from 15 balls.
Ecclestone who took the prized wicket of Matthews had figures of 1-27 from her 20 balls.
The Giants had stated prior to the season that the 31-year-old was "recovering from a medical situation", and subsequently announced Australia’s Kim Garth as her replacement.
Dottin tweeted that she was "recovering from nothing" at the time of the announcement.
At a media interaction after Dottin's response, Giants issued a clarification that they had to seek a replacement because they were unable to obtain a medical clearance in time for Dottin.
Dottin put out a detailed statement on Twitter on Sunday, saying, "I remain deeply disappointed by what can only, plausibly, be described as bewildering reasoning for my omission from the tournament.
"At the commencement of the tournament, the franchise claimed that I was excluded from the team because I was apparently 'recovering from a medical situation'. This was followed by a subsequent, clarifying statement that contended that I was, in fact 'unable to obtain medical clearance' despite being granted as recently as February 20th."
She went on to say that she had sought treatment after experiencing minor abdominal pain in December 2022.
Dottin then met two specialists in December and January for second opinions, and was advised rest until February 13. She said she had been cleared to resume training from February 14.
"Consequently, I recommenced my personal training and fitness regime according to the guided timelines and experienced some soreness on the first day of resumed training which was anticipated and reasonable, given that I had been asked to rest in the weeks preceding training.
"I was transparent about this in correspondence with the Gujarat Giants physiotherapist, however, this was misconstrued and later conveyed to members of the franchise's management team as me 'experiencing abdominal pain post-session' which was not what I had indicated."
Dottin said that Giants insisted that she got herself assessed locally even though she was given medical clearance by her treating surgeon on February 20.
"To my shock, I was then forwarded email correspondence from the Giants' physiotherapist, that included the following demand - 'Deandra Dottin is strictly advised to submit her fitness report along with the recent scan by 26/02/2023. She will be deemed unfit for T20 matches in the WPL if she doesn't comply.' This request was sent on Saturday 25th February with the deadline provided being the following day - Sunday - making it near impossible to administer all stipulated medical tests, particularly over a weekend."
She said that on the next day, February 26, she was told via email by a senior manager at Giants owners Adani Sportsline, that she had "a solid role to play" at the WPL but had to produce a new CT scan and report by March 1.
"Whilst I was trying my utmost to arrange an expedited CT scan in accordance with the various deadlines I was being served, I received yet another email the following day (Monday, 27th February), this time from the Head of Adani Sportsline, stating that they were unable to find me a timely appointment at a private hospital from their end and that they would, thus, formally be seeking to replace me in the League."
The Giants are currently last in the WPL table with two wins from eight games.
Dottin is in line for her first international appearance since her 2022 retirement when the West Indies take on South Africa in their first group match on October 4.
The best cricketer in the world right now, Hayley Matthews, will once again lead the side that also sees the inclusion of regulars like Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Chedean Nation, Shamilia Connell, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle and Karishma Ramharack.
The squad also boasts a fine mixture of youth and experience with the presence of 19-year-old Zaida James and 20-year-old Ashmini Munisar, who both represented the West Indies at the most recent ICC Under-19 Women’s World Cup.
St. Lucian Nerissa Crafton is the only member of the squad with no international experience while this will be the first T20 World Cup for Qiana Joseph and Mandy Mangru.
In addition to South Africa, the West Indies will take on Bangladesh, England and Scotland in Group B of the tournament.
After facing South Africa on October 4, they will Scotland on October 6, Bangladesh on October 10 and England on October 15.
The top two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals.
Full Squad: Hayley Matthews (C), Shemaine Campbelle, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Ashmini Munisar, Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, Karishma Ramharack, Mandy Mangru, Nerissa Crafton, Shamilia Connell, Stafanie Taylor, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph
West Indies Women posted 230-6 from their 50 overs, with Thailand Women replying with 79 all out in 36.3 overs.
The West Indies Women owed their score to Deandra Dottin, who scored 101 and Hayley Matthews, who contributed with 57.
Onnicha Kamchomphu took 2-26 while Suleeporn Laomi returned figures of 2-37.
Thailand was never in the hunt, despite Chanida Sutthiruang’s 37. Sornnarin Tippoch was the next best scorer with nine as Shakera Selman took 2-1 and Aaliyah Alleyne 2-9 proved too much for the opposing batters.
Naturally, Head Coach Courtney Walsh was pleased with the outcome ahead of the first match on November 23 against Ireland.
“It was good to get in a practice match in Zimbabwe to get accustomed to the conditions. The ladies went out and did what was required,” he said.
“Deandra and Hayley had good knocks, so it’s good to see the runs continuing from over from Pakistan. We gave all the bowlers a chance to get a feel of the pitch here in Zimbabwe. It was important to get match practice as Papua New Guinea pulled out so we are short one game.”
Walsh believes winning the series against Pakistan 3-0 and overwhelming Thailand will boost the confidence of his players.
“Once you keep winning you’re going to keep having confidence. We left Pakistan pretty confidently and it’s important to keep that momentum and not taking anything for granted,” he said.
“Obviously, this was just a practice game but the win is important for team morale and then we have a few days before we start the competition, so it’s good to get that win under our belts.”
The West Indies Women will continue their training schedule for the next three days before they bow into World Cup qualifying action.
Dottin top-scored with 73 from 87 balls to help the Windies chase down their target of 160 to defeat Ireland by six wickets.
After captain Stafanie Taylor won the toss and elected to field first, the West Indies bowled out Ireland for 159 in 43 overs.
Anissa Mohammed was the pick of the bowlers for the Caribbean side, taking 3-40 from her 10 overs.
She was supported by Hayley Matthews who took 2-20 from her 10.
Shamilia Connell took 2-33 from her 10 and Taylor took 2-15 from her 3 overs.
Gaby Lewis top-scored for the Irish with 36 from 58 balls.
The Windies Women then needed only 39.3 overs to chase their target with Dottin getting 73 and Taylor finishing not out on 41.
The West Indies and Sri Lanka both have two points, having won their first game, with the Windies at the top of the group due to a superior net run rate.
Those two will face off next on Saturday.
The Strikers posted 147-5 after winning the toss and batting first thanks to a top score of 52 not out from Dottin. Her knock came off 37 balls and included six fours and two sixes.
Australian opener Katie Mack also made 31 as English left arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone picked up two wickets for the Sixers.
With the ball, Dottin produced a crucial spell of 2-30 from her four overs, including the wicket of player of the tournament Ashleigh Gardner for a four-ball duck, to set up the win for her team.
Pacer Darcie Brown also took two wickets as the Sixers were restricted bowled out for 137 in 20 overs.
Dottin was named player of the match.
England Women won the toss and elected to bat first. West Indies Women made two changes with Chedean Nation and Sheneta Grimmond replacing Britney Cooper and Aaliyah Alleyne.
Shamilia Connell had the English batters on the backfoot early in the powerplay as she removed both openers, Tammy Beaumont and Danielle Wyatt in the third over, to register a much better performance in her opening spell that what she had in the second match last Wednesday.
Deandra Dottin returned to international bowling for the first time since February 2019 when the West Indies Women played three T20I matches in Karachi Pakistan. Dottin and the other West Indies bowlers were able to constrain the English batters for most of their innings, except for the nineteenth over, when they were able to score 17 runs off Stafanie Taylor.
England Women finished their innings on 154 for 6. Nat Sciver was their top scorer with 82 followed by captain Heather Knight with 29. Shamilia Connell was the pick of the West Indies bowlers, finishing with figures of 2 for 13 from three overs, followed by Deandra Dottin with 2 for 29.
Deandra Dottin once again started the West Indies run chase in expedient fashion as she notched four boundaries inside the powerplay. But, two quick wickets of Lee Ann Kirby and Shemaine Cambelle, saw the scoring rate dip just for a moment. Hayley Matthews, batting at number four, and Dottin started the innings rebuild. The pair posted a 48-run partnership before Matthews was trapped lbw for 21.
Dottin in her prolific return to international cricket, reached 2500 T20 International runs on her way to a West Indies Women’s top-score of 63 off 56 deliveries, which included 9-fours and a six.
West Indies were at one stage 83 for 2 in the 13th over but lost momentum in the second half of the innings and finished on 134 for 5 – 20 runs short of the target. The win gave England an unassailable 3-0 lead with two more matches to be played on Monday night and Wednesday night at the same venue.
Scores
West Indies Women 134 for 5 from 20 overs England’s 154 for 6 from 20 overs
With scores of 69 and 38 in the T20 series so far, Dottin has looked anything but rusty. Notably, however, the player is yet to have a turn with the ball. Dottin, as she often has, would prove more than a valuable weapon for the West Indies with the ball as well. In 115 matches, she has claimed 59 wickets.
Having suffered a serious injury to her right shoulder in early 2019, which required reconstructive surgery in June of last year, however, Coley insists the team is still doing recovery work with the all-rounder.
“She’s just recovered from injury. It’s no secret that our players haven’t been able to do much for a very long time,” Coley said.
“Deandra is on a back to bowling program. She started that whilst we were here, so she is still on that. We need to make sure that she is 100 percent, to be able to bowl competitively. She has been doing bowling work behind the scenes in training,” he added.
“We are comfortable in terms of where she is at, but we want to make sure that long term she is ok and she can bowl at the intensity she wants to consistently and not just for a game or two.”
The Barbadian all-rounder scored 62 (1x4, 4x6) from 44 balls while sharing in an opening stand of 73 with Priya Punia (28) and then 60 with Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (43) as Supernovas raced to 133-2 after 15 overs.
Kaur, whose 43 came from 29 balls and included one four and three sixes helped take Supernovas to 165-7 from their 20 overs.
Deepti Sharma who took Dottin’s wicket was the best of Velocity’s bowlers with 2-20 while Kate Cross (2-29) and Simran Bahadur (2-30) provided valuable support.
Needing 166 to deny Supernovas their third title, Velocity lost three wickets for 38 runs midway through the sixth over. Dottin claimed the first wicket dismissing Shafali Verma for 15 with the score on 29. Sophie Ecclestone (2-28) then weighed in dismissing Yastika Bhatia (13) and Kiran Prabhu Navgire for a 13-ball duck.
Laura Wolvaardt helped stop the rot with an unbeaten 65 even as wickets fell with regularity around her, Alana King being the main destroyer with 3-32.
Wolvaardt found a useful partner in Bahadur and together they took the score from 117-8 in the 17th over to 161 when they ran out of balls. Dottin took the wicket of Cross for 13 as Velocity tried to rally. She finished with 2-28 from her four overs including a crucial maiden.
Dottin was also named Player of the Series scoring 100 runs and taking four wickets in the series.
The powerful West Indian’s innings came off just 17 balls and included five fours and one six and helped her Supernovas post a formidable 163 all out from their 20 overs.
India's Harmanpreet Kaur (37) and Harleen Deol (35) were the top scorers for the Supernovas.
Matthews led the Trailblazers' bowling effort with 3-29 from her four overs while Bangladesh’s Salma Khatun took 2-30 from her four overs.
The Trailblazers' reply was top-heavy as only Captain Smriti Mandhana (34), Matthews (18) and Jemimah Rodrigues (24) managed to make significant contributions as they were restricted to just 114-9 off their 20 overs.
India’s Pooja Vastrakar was the star of the bowling with 4-12 from her four overs and she was very well supported by England’s Sophie Ecclestone (2-19 from four overs) and Australia’s Alana King (2-30 from four overs).
Dottin’s 30-ball 68 that included five fours and six sixes helped MO to 160-3 from the hundred balls. Opener Lizelle Lee's 27-ball 40 and Sophie Ecclestone’s 17-ball 24 were significant contributions to what seemed like a winning score.
However, Northern Superchargers recovered from 106-3 with 24 balls remaining to snatch victory at the death thanks to a whirlwind knock from Laura Wolvaardt, who smashed an unbeaten 90 from just 49 balls.
The South African batter clubbed 13 fours and two sixes to propel her side to what seemed like an unlikely victory.
Alyssa Healy contributed 28 from 18 balls and Hollie Armitage 24 from 20 also made useful contributions.
Dottin proved a tad expensive with the ball conceding 34 runs from 19 balls.
Kate Cross 1-26 from 20 balls and Emma Lamb 1-23 from 15 were MO’s best bowlers.
First, Dottin smashed an impressive seven sixes as well as three fours on her way to a top score of 69 off 48 balls to help the Barmy Army post 163-6 from their 20 overs after losing the toss.
Bangladesh’s Rumana Ahmed chipped in with 37 as Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce took 2-24 off her four overs for the Warriors.
Dottin’s form with the bat then carried over to the bowling crease where she bowled three economical overs, conceding just nine runs and picking up a pair of wickets including that of current West Indies captain Hayley Matthews who made 28.
Bryce top scored with a 26-ball 45 as the Warriors were dismissed for 146 from their 20 overs.
The franchise that bought the Barbadian’s talents for US$73,000 in February, stirred some controversy late last week after indicating that the Barbadian all-rounder’s absence stemmed from her ongoing recovery from a medical situation, only for the player to publish a tweet saying she was “recovering from nothing”.
"I really appreciate all the messages but truth be told I'm recovering from nothing but the Holy Ghost anointing thank you #GodIsGood #GodIsInControl", Dottin posted on social media.
However, in a bid to clear the air on the matter, the Gujarat Giants revealed in a statement early on Sunday that Dottin’s absence was due to their failure to get the required medical clearance for the player.
"Deandra is a world-class player and a wonderful signing for the franchise. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain a medical clearance before the defined deadline for this season, such clearances are a requirement of all players participating in the WPL,” the statement read.
"We look forward to seeing her return to the field soon. Subject to the clearance of her medical report, she will be part of the Gujarat Giants squad in the upcoming seasons."
Chasing a target of 131 in favorable batting conditions, the Warriors found themselves in early trouble at 15-2 after losing Natasha McLean and Stafanie Taylor within the first few overs. The pressure mounted as Jonassen and seamer Shikha Pandey applied the brakes, making run-scoring difficult in the powerplay.
However, Burns, alongside captain Lauren Winfield-Hill, who scored a solid 46 off 47 balls, steadied the ship with an unbroken 119-run partnership, the highest ever in the competition. The duo expertly navigated the tricky period, combining aggressive stroke play with calculated risk-taking, which paid off handsomely.
Burns, who was dropped twice during her innings, capitalized on those chances to anchor the chase. She reached her half-century off just 32 balls and continued to find the boundary with ease, particularly down the ground and through the leg side. Winfield-Hill played the perfect supporting role, rotating the strike and allowing Burns to dominate the innings.
Earlier, the Knight Riders posted a total of 130-6, a score that seemed competitive at the halfway mark. The team’s captain, Deandra Dottin, and Harshitha Samarawickrama laid a strong foundation with a half-century opening partnership. Samarawickrama, replacing the injured Meg Lanning, was particularly impressive, displaying elegant strokes and punishing anything short as she guided the team to 37-0 after the powerplay.
Despite the solid start, the Knight Riders' momentum stalled once spinner Chloe Tryon was introduced into the attack. Tryon, who finished with figures of 4-21, struck with her very first delivery, dismissing Dottin with a brilliant catch by Ashmini Munisar at gully. She then bowled Samarawickrama, who attempted a reverse sweep, and stifled the Knight Riders in the middle overs.
Jemimah Rodrigues and Jess Jonassen provided a late surge with a quick 44-run partnership, but Tryon once again swung the momentum in the Warriors' favor by removing Jonassen for 28 and then dismissing Kycia Knight in the penultimate over.
The Knight Riders' final total ultimately fell short, and the Warriors, despite the early hiccups in their chase, displayed their depth and resilience to record their first points of the tournament.
This victory will serve as a significant confidence boost for the Warriors as they look to build momentum in the competition. Both teams had entered this match desperate for a win after losing to the Barbados Royals in their opening fixtures, but it was the Warriors who emerged triumphant, thanks to Burns' heroics and Tryon's pivotal bowling performance.
Taylor suffered a right-side groin strain in the eighth over of her side’s defeat to England at Sydney Showground on Sunday, forcing her to retire hurt on 15.
That injury has ruled her out of West Indies’ final Group B match against South Africa in Sydney on Tuesday.
No replacement player has been requested and Taylor will stay with the West Indies team until the end of their World Cup campaign.
Gus Logie’s squad has been decimated by injury, with Britney Cooper struggling with an ankle injury and Chinelle Henry missing the defeat to England due to a recurring issue.
These add to ongoing concerns over the fitness of star player Deandra Dottin, who underwent reconstructive shoulder surgery a year ago.
Ahead of their meeting with the Proteas, Logie said: “Right now we are struggling to get an XI on the field.
“We have had other players who have had issues reoccurring through the tournament, so first and foremost against South Africa we are looking to get a fit XI on the field.
“The medical team cleared Deandra to play cricket, she had a tournament in Trinidad before coming out here and did reasonably well.
“We have been nursing her along and hoping, she hadn’t been bowling but she’d been batting pretty well in the nets.
“She did well in the practice games and we felt that if she batted a few overs and gave herself a chance, she would score runs.
“Stafanie was quite shattered, it was a twist of fate. At that stage of the game it was a blow, she gives the others confidence to play.
“Once she was out there, if she was getting the balls away and you never know what could happen.
“Hopefully we can put out a fit XI, but firstly an XI that can stay out there on the park.”
Dottin showed very little sign of rust in crafting an industrious 69 from 59 deliveries, in dogged pursuit of England’s total of 163. She was, however, the team’s only batsman to reach double figures as the Windies eventually crashed 47 runs short of the total.
"It's been a long time since we've played international cricket but we've been here for two and a half weeks and we've been preparing and I think we ticked our boxes, it was just a matter of execution and we didn't do that today with the bat or the ball but I think the girls were really happy to get out there and play some international and competitive cricket,” Dottin said after the game.
The allrounder has spent more time out of the game than most, having suffered a serious injury to her right shoulder in early 2019 and underwent reconstructive surgery in June of last year. Having only recently returned to action earlier this year, the sport was halted by the pandemic. The player, however, now seems to be on the verge of rediscovering her best form.
"The game plan was for me to bat through the innings and set up the game. If it came down to the latter part, we could actually get a couple of big overs. Unfortunately, England bowled very well, they used their variations very well, so we did not get the score we projected,” she added.
Natalie Sciver and Sophie Eccleston each claimed two wickets as an economic England were found to be in a miserly mood.
Lee’s innings earned her the CG Insurance Player of the Match award following up on her CG Insurance Player of the Series award in the recent T20 Internationals. The experienced opener made her 21st half-century at this level and laid the perfect platform for the run-chase as she faced 127 balls and hit 10 fours and a six. She added 88 in 22 overs with Laura Wolvaardt who again looked in good touch before she was bowled by Anisa Mohammed for 35, which came off 65 deliveries.
The West Indies had one other success when Sune Luus was trapped leg-before wicket to left-arm spinner Qiana Joseph without scoring.
In the first half of the match, West Indies found the going challenging. Left-hander Kycia Knight top-scored with 39 off 78 balls, but was run out by a superb throw from Mignon duPreez at deep square leg.
Deandra Dottin, looked set for a significant score as she raced to 38 off 36 balls, but was well caught at long-off by duPreez, which gave leg-spinner Dane van Niekerk her first wicket. The South Africa skipper ended with 2-23 off her 10 overs to put pressure on the West Indies middle and lower order.
The two teams will return to the same venue on Friday for the second match of the five-match rubber. First ball is 10 am (9 am Jamaica Time).
Kirby, along with her captain Deandra Dottin posted 55 runs in 9.2 overs before Dottin fell to Shabika Gajnabi for 29.
The remaining batters looked on as Kirby smashed the bowlers around for seven fours and three sixes as Team Dottin posted 132 for 5 from their 20 overs.
Hayley Matthews was the pick of the bowlers for Team Selman, finishing with figures of 2 for 31 from her four overs.
In their chase, 27 seemed to be the figure for Team Selman, as Hayley Matthews, Chinelle Henry and Shabika Gajnabi all registered the same score with the bat. Team Dottin’s bowlers stifled the scoring of Team Selman.
Shamilia Connell was the best bowler for Team Dottin, finishing with figures of 2 for 18 from her four overs.
Afterwards, Dottin said it was good to be back playing once again.
“These two practice matches felt good to be back out in the middle playing competitive cricket,” she said.
“Personally, it was nice spending some time at the crease after such a long layoff. Generally, we are all looking and feeling good, after the last couple weeks of training. So, we’re just looking forward now to start the series on Monday and put all that hard into action.”
In a wonderful advert for women's cricket, the all-around entertaining affair got the thrilling ending it merited. With the West Indies needing to defend just 6 runs in the last over, Dottin, who has hardly been seen with the ball over the last few months, stepped up to take 2 for 2, and also effected a run-out, to finally wrap up brave New Zealand resistance in her only over of the match.
The result meant the West Indies had successfully defended 259 for 9, their third-highest total ever recorded at the tournament.
Earlier, a brilliant 119 of 128 from Matthews, who was named the player of the match, set the stage for the West Indies triumph. Unexpectedly returning to the top of the order after Rashada Williams was ruled out of the match due to concussion protocol, Matthews hit 16 fours and a six, dispatching New Zealand’s bowlers to all parts of the ground while proving to be the stable catalyst the West Indies needed.
Dottin, who opened with Matthews, had promised a similar type of performance but was sent packing after hitting three fours and skying another attempt to Jess Kerr after playing across the line off Lea Tahuhu.
With Kycia Knight then departing for just 5, Matthews formed a crucial 66-run partnership with captain Stafanie Taylor, which helped the West Indies reach 100 at a steady five runs an over. The partnership was broken when Taylor was caught behind after clipping off Tahuhu.
It was, however, one only of three partnerships Matthews would be involved in as she also paired with Shemaine Campbelle and Chedean Nation to glue the team’s innings together.
Matthews was eventually dismissed going after Kerr as Hannah Rowe held on to the catch in the deep. Nation's 46-ball 36 and then Anisa Mohammed's six-ball 11, however, added valuable runs for the team at the end of the innings. Tahuhu was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with 3 for 57, while Kerr claimed 2 for 43.
In pursuit, Sophie Devine struck a magnificent century to keep New Zealand's chase on track, for the most part, and Katey Martin and Kerr's quickfire 40-run partnership brought it down to run-a-ball for the last over before the timely intervention of Dottin.
