MOST, IF NOT all, successful international sportspersons regularly return to basics to retool their game for future competition.
That is a concept which is not wasted on Barbados’ allrounder Deandra Dottin who has been selected to head off to South Africa on October 13 with the West Indies team.
Dottin, who has represented Barbados at the CARIFTA Games in the shot putt, javelin and discus, has been spending valuable time working on some of her weaker batting and bowling areas with her “original coaches” Richard Clarke and Alfred Campbell at the Passage Road cricket ground.
Clarke, who has long been recognised as a pioneer of windball and women’s cricket, has been recently hailed for his cricketing success at Wesley Hall Primary School as well as in the Inspire Under-3 cricket competition where his Fusionz Boutique team has won both editions to date.
“Deandra has the power and the skill so we have been working on getting her to cut out some of the aerial shots as well as to concentrate on spending more time at the crease,” Clarke disclosed.
Spending more time at the crease could be a frightful scenario for Dottin’s opponents in the land of the Proteas as during this year’s World Cup Twenty20 in the Caribbean, the powerfully built player had smashed a whirlwind 112 off just 38 balls against South Africa in St Kitts to be the first woman to score an international T20 hundred.
Ironically, Dottin was later omitted at the 11th hour from the Barbados team which took part in the recent West Indies women’s 50 overs competition without any solid reason being given.
The 19-year-old has indicated that her focus was on playing her best cricket to retain her spot in the West Indies squad as well as to return to the Barbados side.
“I cannot thank Richard and Mr Campbell enough for continually helping me with my game. I am hoping to score big in South Africa and wherever I am selected to play cricket as I am aiming for a professional cricketer’s contract,” Dottin said confidently.
