West Indies registered a resounding 60 run win in their opening match at the National Stadium Providence, East Bank Guyana.
It was expected that spin would be the weapon used on the Providence pitch but Deandra Dottin proved otherwise, with her brisk seam bowling. She bowled in the right areas and destroyed the Bangladesh team with match winning figures of 5-6. Her record breaking performance was the best in Women’s World T20 cricket tournaments.
With 40 overs being bowled on the Providence wicket in approximately 7 hours of play, the defending champions, West Indies were asked to bat by Bangladesh’s captain, Salma Khatun.
Bangladesh read the conditions brilliantly at Providence, including four spin bowlers and the lone fast bowler, Jahanara Alam.
The threatening opening duo of Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin made their way to the center as the relatively fair size Guyanese crowd showed support. Right arm pacer, Jahanara Alam bowled the first over of the match as Matthews and Dottin showed their intent from ball one.
Dottin smashed the pacer’s fourth ball straight down the ground for a maximum but Khatun; the off-spinner introduced herself in the second over. The Bangladesh spin attack spun webs around the West Indies Women; in Khatun’s first over she opted for a review against Dottin, which was turned down by the umpire.
The consistent Jahanara Alam who had seam-movement with the new ball, returned for her second over and found herself on a hat trick picking up both openers in the space of two deliveries.
Matthews who scored 6 runs, was the first wicket to fall with the score on 14.
Dottin was removed by Alam in the next ball when she was caught by Fahima Khatun as the West Indies batting struggle began. Stafanie Taylor and lone Guyanese Shemaine Campbell found themselves at the crease; the Bangladesh bowlers utilized the conditions in a professional manner as they continue building pressure with a large percentage of dot deliveries.
Campbell was removed in the fourth over after she scored one run from five balls. The West Indies batters are more known as power-hitters but on a slow pitch, rotating the strike would have been the more suitable option.
Instead, dot deliveries built pressure and wickets continued to fall.
Natasha McLean was bowled by the leg-spinner, Ahmed for 11 while Britney Cooper struggled to get the ball off the square, with a score of 8 from 18 balls.
The West Indies captain stood strong as she played a painstaking innings. Kaciya Knight joined her skipper and the pair looked to rebuild.
As wickets continued to fall at regular intervals leg-spinner, Ahmed captured the prize scalp of Taylor who played a responsible innings in the context of the game.
Taylor faced 44 balls for her 29 inclusive of two boundaries. Wicketkeeper batter, Kaciya Knight created different angles to score runs as she quickly adjusted to the sluggish wicket. Knight, one of the three batters with a strike rate of 100, hit one of the two maximums in her 24-ball 32 being the top-score.
Alam picked up three wickets in four consistent overs, while leg-spinner, Ahmed grabbed 2 wickets. Off-spinners, Khatun and Tul Kubra picked up one wicket each to restrict the defending champions.
The Bangladesh chase started off with a bit of luck in the first over as Cooper misfield a ball which eventually went into the boundary. However, the lively opening bowlers Selman and Connell bowled an off-stump line that exposed the Bangladesh top-order. Selman in particular removed Bangladesh opener Sultana on the final ball of the first over.
Captain Stafanie Taylor did not present the Bangladeshi batters the opportunity to take the game away in the power play. After the first six overs, Bangladesh found themselves in a state of trouble with 19 runs on the board losing the top 3 batters.
The West Indies spin attack which includes Anisa Mohammed, Afy Fletcher, Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews were expected to utilize the spin-friendly conditions. Taylor introduced herself into the attack and shattered the stumps of Rahman as wickets continued to fall.
The game changing introduction of the fiery Deandra Dottin saw more wickets tumble as the athletic Dottin took two wickets in her brilliant first over.
At the half-way stage the Asian side were 32-5 requiring 75 in the final 10 overs.
Dottin continued her dream spell and she picked up two more wickets in her second over.
Dottin removed the capable Ahmed with her fourth ball and Mondal was out with the sixth delivery.
Bangladesh batters failed to bat with technique and found themselves in deep trouble as they were blown away for a miserable 46.
All of the Bangladeshi batters failed to reach double figures as they produced their worst batting performance.
Speaking at the post match presentation Dottin noted that West Indies were confident that they could have won the match with 100 runs to defend. (Brandon Corlette)
