Dottin and Grimmond excel as West Indies claim Super Over victory

West Indies held their nerve in the very first women’s ODI to go into a Super Over

West Indies 192 for 5 (Williams 78, Matthews 48, de Klerk 3-33) tied with South Africa 192 for 7 (Lee 61, Brits 48, Grimmon 4-33) West Indies won the one-over eliminator

Deandra Dottin has always been a headliner and she provided further proof of it on Sunday in an epic match against South Africa. The very first century-maker in women’s T20Is also instigated the very first tie in women’s ODIs that was settled by a Super Over. And guess what, she bowled it and won it for West Indies.

Dottin’s gift for accuracy and her ability to thrive under pressure came to the fore as she took the ball in the 49th over of a pulsating game in Antigua. South Africa needed six runs to win. Mignon du Preez (46) was well set. But when the former Proteas captain was given an opportunity to seal the game, she couldn’t make the most of it.

It happened in the second ball of the over. Dottin erred, offering one that was short and wide. du Preez laced it behind point and although it had plenty of power, it yielded only a single thanks to West Indies’ other bowling hero, Sheneta Grimmond. The 23-year-old offspinner, playing only her sixth ODI, took a career best 4 for 33 to completely turn the match, and when everything was at stake, her athleticism in the field helped West Indies secure their consolation win. Dottin closed the 49th over off by assisting in the run-out of du Preez as she sought to secure the match-winning run.

A 5-0 sweep for South Africa had looked likely from the moment they had restricted West Indies to a mere 192. Rookie opener Rashada Williams contributed 78 of those runs. It even started to seem like a foregone conclusion with Lizelle Lee (61) and Tazmin Brits (48) putting on 111 runs for the first wicket. But then came the collapse: six wickets tumbling for just 32 runs. Du Preez’s innings kept the game in balance and pushed it to the last over. Dottin pushed it further than that and given her performance in normal time, West Indies were always going to put their trust in her in extra time. More so considering she was stand-in captain for the day.

Dottin restricted Lee and Dane van Niekerk to just six runs in the Super Over, then came back out to bat again, but was run out first ball. With West Indies needing eight to win off five balls, Chedean Nation and Hayley Matthews kept their nerve and claimed the victory.