Deandra Dottin Leads West Indies' Squad for Women's T20 World Cup, Featuring New Faces

Barbadian allrounder Deandra Dottin headlines West Indies’ 15 member squad for

October’s Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates after her decision to

reverse her international retirement last month.

The squad has four changes from the more recent T20 squad that beat Sri Lanka in

June sees Nerissa Crafton who is uncapped in T20I cricket, teenager Zaida James,

Ashmini Munisar and Mandy Mangru replace Cherry-Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi,

Rashada Williams and Late Wilmott.

Speaking after the squad announcement, Cricket West Indies President Kishore

Shallow was pleased with those chosen, believing the squad to have a good

balance. “We have a nice mix of experience and youth. We have some players

bordering on 19; I think Zaida is still probably a teenager and one or two of the

young players there so I’m really happy with the mix,” he explained.

“I also think we all as West Indians are excited to see Deandra Dottin back. It has

been a year of communication- back and forth- with Deandra and I particularly want

to recognise the involvement of Ann Browne-John who has led the conversations

over the last year, even when she wasn’t officially the selector. She was integral in

Deandra coming out of retirement,” Shallow said.

It will be encouraging to captain Hayley Matthews and the selection panel that

Dottin, who still holds the record of the fastest century in women’s T20Is, is currently

in good form. The 33 year old was the third highest run scorer in the Massy

Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) league phase, with 113 runs in four

innings, averaging 28.25 and striking at 111.88. She is also the only batter so far to

have hit more than two sixes this WCPL season.

Head coach Shane Deitz was quick to welcome Dottin back into the West Indies

set-up, believing her international credentials made it a straightforward decision to

select her. “Her record is phenomenal and she is doing it again at the WCPL as we

speak,” Deitz said of Dottin. “We’ve been really working hard off the field with our

team culture, and the leadership group within the team. Denadra and the other

players who are coming into the side – they are all going to be welcomed in the