West Indies star Deandra Dottin’s phenomenal all-round contributions helped the West Indies beat England in the Women’s T20 World Cup on Tuesday, sealing qualification to the semi-finals for themselves and knocking their opponents out in the process.
The star all-rounder was on hand to provide an unorthodox behind-the-scenes interview, as her teammate Shamilia Connell took ICC’s social media cameras into the locker room to have a chat with her compatriot while Dottin was in the ice bath following the match.
“You’re fully clothed?” Connell asks Dottin before entering the room with the ice bath. “This is a normal sight for her, she likes the ice bath,” said Connell while Dottin greets the camera.
“We’re here with the world boss, I really enjoyed you playing today, seeing you bowling for the first time in the tournament, how did it feel?” asked Connell.
“It feels really good, to get in a couple of overs for the team,” responded Dottin. She bowled 3 overs with figures of 1-16, taking the wicket of Danielle Gibson later in the innings. Dottin was also terrific in the field, taking three catches and forcing a brilliant run-out of the dangerous Alice Capsey. England were restricted to 141/7 in their innings.
‘You know what that means…’
“This is our first semifinal in two World Cups, how does it feel?” continued Connell. “To be honest, it feels really good, it feels similar to the 2016 World Cup, it’s actually going the same way as the 2016 World Cup, so all we got to do is stick to it, remain confident, and keep going forward strong.”
The Windies lifted the T20 World Cup trophy in 2016 when it was played alongside the men’s tournament in India, making it a famous double for the two teams on that occasion. Against England, the West Indies chased down 142 with an over to spare. Dottin played a very handy knock of 27(19), while openers Heyley Matthews and Qiana Joseph both scored half-centuries to give the chase a strong foundation.
“The same as 2016, you know what that means, it means we’re going to get a second star,” concluded Connell, pointing to the Windies badge on the jersey. “Stay tuned guys, I’m out,” finished the two players.
West Indies bounced back to win their last three matches after an opening loss to South Africa, leapfrogging England and qualifying top of the group alongside the Proteas. The Windies have booked a semifinal encounter against New Zealand, while South Africa take on Australia in a rematch of the 2023 T20 World Cup final.
