Back-to-back Windies Women wins after Dottin hundred

The mercurial Deandra Dottin stroked an aggressive maiden one-day hundred as West Indies Women produced their best performance of an otherwise disappointing campaign, with a 19-run win over Pakistan Women in the ICC Women’s World Cup on Tuesday.

Sent in at Grace Road in their sixth game of the tournament, West Indies rattled up an authoritative 285 for four off their 50 overs with the right-handed Dottin smashing an unbeaten 104 off just 76 balls.

Captain Stafanie Taylor missed out on a sixth career hundred when she perished for 90 while Chedean Nation scored 35 and Merissa Aguilleira, 24 not out.

Seamer Asmavia Iqbal led Pakistan with two for 76.

Rain during the break forced Pakistan to chase a revised target of 245 off 38 overs but when the adverse weather returned, they had reached only 117 for three off 24 overs – short of the par score of 136.

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Javeria Khan top-scored with an unbeaten 58 off 72 balls while opener Nahida Khan made 40 from 46 deliveries.

Veteran off-spinner Anisa Mohammed was once again at the forefront of the Windies attack, taking two for 21 from her four overs.

‘Classy’ Taylor

The victory was the Caribbean side’s second on the trot following last Sunday’s 47-run win over Sri Lanka Women in Derby which broke a sequence of four successive defeats.

However, it was Dottin who took centre stage, striking the fastest-ever hundred by a West Indies batsman off just 71 balls and the first triple figure score for her side in four years.

No such enterprise was envisioned when Asmavia removed both openers cheaply to leave the Windies struggling on 26 for two in the fifth over.

Teenager Hayley Matthews got a leading edge back to the right-armer in the very first over to depart for one with two runs on the board while the left-handed Kycia Knight tickled a catch behind for 17 off 13 balls.

Taylor and Nation then steadied the innings in a sensible 87-run, third wicket stand which established the platform for Dottin’s later assault.

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The right-handed Taylor was classy in striking 11 pristine fours – comprising mostly cuts and off-side drives – along with a six off 107 balls while Nation faced 68 balls and counted five fours.

Approaching the half-way stage of the innings, the right-handed Nation was bowled, missing a sweep at left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu with the Windies on 113 for three in the 25th over.

Dottin then joined Taylor and dominated their 91-run, fourth wicket stand, leading a devastating assault on the Pakistan attack.

The 26-year-old counted 12 fours and three sixes – a combination of impetuous off-side strokes and wristy leg-side shots.

Dottin stormed to 90s

Dottie started slowly, requiring 16 balls for her first seven runs without a boundary before accelerating to reach her half-century off just 49 deliveries.

But she took boundaries at will off every bowler and when Asmavia returned for a second spell, she whipped her through mid-wicket for four and then smashed her over long on for six, in the 37th over which leaked 12 runs.

She motored to her second fifty off just 22 deliveries, whacking left-arm spinner Sadia Yousuf for a four and a six in the 45th over before smashing back-to-back fours off off-spinner Sana Mir in the 46th over that cost 14 runs.

Dottin stormed into the 90s with a pair of boundaries off Sandhu in the 48th before raising her hundred in style by clearing the ropes at long on with Asmavia in the penultimate over.

Taylor had earlier appeared set for three figures before she chipped a return catch to seamer Diana Baig in the 40th over at 204 for four.

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However, Aguilleira kept Dottin company in an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 81 as West Indies picked up the tempo to gather 51 runs from the last five overs.

West Indies then struck early when rookie seamer Akeira Peters had Ayesha Zafar caught at mid-on for nine with 27 on the board in the sixth over but Javeria and Nahida put on 80 to raise Pakistan’s hopes.

With rain hovering and pressure building on the Windies, Mohammed struck two key blows. First, she bowled Nahida with a full length delivery as the batsman made room outside leg in the 21st over before having Iram Javed holing out to cover in her next over, trying to clear the infield as the rains arrived.