Defending a low total, the West Indies women’s team yesterday routed Bangladesh for 44 in the ICC T20 World Cup at Providence with Deandra Dottin grabbing 5 for 6.
The 60-run win for the defending champions came in front of an excited Guyana crowd at the Guyana National Stadium.
Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field, restricting a dangerous Caribbean line up to 106-8 from their 20 overs but were unable to cope with Dottin who marked the most economical five- wicket haul in the Women’s World T20 and condemned the Asian side to 46 all out in 14.4 overs.
Speaking at the post-match event, Dottin said it would not have mattered if they had to chase on the wicket but she was happy to bat first since the track had two previous matches. The record breaker stated that the team was at no point nervous despite their low total as they backed themselves to get over the line and send a message to the other teams.
Similarly, Bangladesh’s Jahanara Alam said the team felt it was the right decision to bowl first since they found themselves better at chasing and took away the positive of having bowled out the defending champions for less than 120.
With an official count of 5,417 in attendance, the defending champions were off to a horrid start with Alam removing the destructive openers: Dottin and Hayley Matthews to successive deliveries and setting the foundation that saw only three in the imposing batting line up reaching double figures.
The hosts slipped further with the loss of Natasha McLean, who had dispatched a ball into the mid wicket boundary for a six and looked to free her arms while Shemaine Campbell holed out to the long on boundary rider to see them slip to 40-4 at the halfway stage.
Stafanie Taylor laboured throughout the middle period for a constructive innings of 29 from 44 balls.
A dropped catch by Alam that went for three runs was not given the full treatment as 30-year-old Anisa Mohammed was run out after pushing past the bowler and attempting a quick run that was halted by a direct hit from Fahima Khatun.
A stunning one-handed catch from Alam off the last delivery of the innings accounted for Kaycia Knight (34) and she ended with 3-23, in turn, restricting West Indies to the seemingly low total.
However, in Bangladesh’s chase, West Indies were equally destructive on a deteriorating track, finding the early breakthroughs as Shakera Selman removed Shamima Sultana and Alam for five and three runs respectively before Taylor returned with the ball to account for Ayasha Rahman.
The Barbados-born with the best bowling figures against Bangladesh in the format 
was then in full flow, ripping the fight out of Bangladesh and reducing them to 36-7 at the halfway stage. The medium pacer read the conditions well and troubled the batters as she struck twice in her first over, uprooting the middle stump of Nigar Sultana and taking a high return catch to send Fargana Hoque packing.
Dottin, who picked up the fourth five-wicket haul of the Women’s World T20 and the first of the sixth edition, returned for her second over and continued to be spot on, taking the top of the off-stump and illuminating the night with the florescent red of the bails as Rumana Ahmed and Lata Mondol were unable to read the nifty bowler and had their stumps shattered.
Afy Fletcher made an immediate impact, lighting up the night and rejuvenating the crowd with the wicket of Sanjana Islam and leave Bangladesh needing 71 from 60 balls, ultimately setting up Bangladesh for Dottin to return and put them out of their misery with her fifth wicket and a run out, sealing the deal.
