LEICESTER – The mercurial Deandra Dottin stroked an aggressive maiden One-Day hundred as West Indies produced their best performance of an otherwise disappointing campaign with a 19-run win over Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World Cup yesterday.
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 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.
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.
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.
The victory was the Caribbean side’s second on the trot following last Sunday’s 47-run win over Sri Lanka 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.
Taylor and Nation then steadied the innings in a sensible 87-run, third wicket stand which established the platform for Dottin’s later assault.
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.
All told, the 26-year-old Dottin counted 12 fours and three sixes – a combination of impetuous off-side strokes and wristy leg-side shots.
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.
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. (CMC)
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