Deandra Dottin spent the first half-hour of the West Indies innings in The Oval’s medical room, yet still walked out at No. 8 to thump 26 from 16 deliveries and edge her side to 125 for 7 against Australia in the T20 World Cup semi-final.
Moments earlier it had looked unlikely she would bat at all. Dottin joined the warm-ups, lined up for the anthems, then suddenly doubled over. Team-mates signalled frantically, and Zaida James, aided by a support staffer, carried her from the outfield. Ground medics treated her for roughly 30 minutes before wheeling her back to the dressing-room. The exact nature of the “medical issue” was not disclosed.
By the 14th over, though, Dottin re-appeared, this time descending the changing-room steps under her own steam. West Indies were wobbling at 83 for 6—five wickets having tumbled for 26 runs—and the run rate sat at barely six an over. Originally pencilled in at No. 5, she now took guard in the lower order and immediately targeted the square boundaries. Three crisply struck fours in the final seven balls lifted the Caribbean side above 120, a total that felt competitive on a used surface.
Head coach Shane Deitz gave the only update during the innings break: “She had a medical issue but she is fine now and played a great innings at the end there and gave us a bit of a total. She is a tough character, hard to keep her down. Hopefully she will come out and chip in a wicket or two.”
For Dottin, one of West Indies’ most seasoned campaigners, the runs arrived after a lean tournament in which she had not passed 21 in five previous knocks. Her rapid cameo underlined why the selectors kept faith.
West Indies, beaten semi-finalists at the last edition, are chasing a second successive final after missing the 2025 ODI World Cup. Australia, favourites on paper, still need 126 on a tacky pitch where timing has proved awkward. Whatever happens next, Dottin’s brief but muscular innings ensured the match remains firmly in the balance.
