West Indies looking to bounce back in England after T20 World Cup disappointment

West Indies will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing Women’s T20 World Cup campaign when they take on England in five T20Is later this month.

England prevented West Indies from reaching the knockout stages of the tournament in Australia earlier this year when they won their group clash by 46 runs to progress to the semi-finals.

Then-coach Gus Logie described West Indies’ performance throughout the global showcase, won by the hosts in convincing fashion in the final against India, as “timid” and possessing a “fear factor”.

That match, on March 1, was Deandra Dottin‘s third international – fourth counting the World Cup warm-up match against India – after an absence of more than a year with a shoulder injury that required surgery and a lengthy rehab period.

Vice-captain to Stafanie Taylor for the tour of England, Dottin didn’t echo Logie’s assessment of the team’s mindset during the World Cup, but acknowledged that there were improvements to be made, which they intended on showing in the forthcoming series.

“To me the girls were pretty good, but I will say that that time wasn’t our time,” Dottin said. “I just think that there are areas that we need to work on and it just so happened that the areas we needed to click didn’t.

“We just needed to go back to the drawing board and watch over footage, or where we went wrong, and just go from there. It’s okay to accept failure but it is how you bounce back.”

ALSO READ: Beaumont ‘so grateful’ to West Indies as women’s summer prepares for delayed start

Dottin, one of the most explosive hitters in the women’s game and an accomplished fast bowler, scored just 12 runs in three T20 World Cup innings, so it could be argued that she is still looking to bounce back herself after such a long injury layoff not to mention, like everyone else in the series, nearly six months of no cricket due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dottin didn’t bowl at all during the T20 World Cup, although she said her shoulder had recovered enough for her to do so while in England.

“I’m feeling pretty good at this moment,” Dottin said. “It’s been a long time I’ve been out. I’ve been working on specific stuff, as in strengthening my injury, getting back out there. My form is there but there’s still more areas that I can improve on. But all in all I’m actually feeling pretty good, and glad to be here in England to play this series.”

Dottin also hoped the series, starting on September 21 with all matches to be played behind closed doors at Derby’s Incora County Ground, would encourage other teams to begin competing again too. The third match on September 26 will be televised live on free-to-air TV – a first for women’s international cricket since 1993 – on the BBC.

“It’s very good getting some cricket with what’s going on with Covid-19 and stuff,” she said. “It’s a chance for both teams… it’ll be worldwide stuff, and more exposure.

“But I think is a good step to actually encourage other teams or show them that we definitely have safety and they are well taking care of us in this Covid time, so you can actually not panic and just make a move.”

West Indies arrived in Derby on Monday for the hastily arranged series, which will ensure internatational women’s cricket is played in England this summer, following the collapse of planned tours by India and South Africa.

And while she stopped short of following West Indies men’s captain Jason Holder in calling on England to return the favour by travelling to the Caribbean next year, Dottin said she would “like that to happen” if possible.

“It’s been an honour and a privilege,” she said of West Indies Women touring England. “We definitely take the invitation from England because we were actually so excited.

“Yeah, it is a last-minute thing that has been put in place, but we actually made it, and were open to travel. It’s very important. the games are televised so it will get people’s attention on the game and how women’s cricket is actually played.”