PUNE, India, CMC – West Indies star Deandra Dottin stroked a half-century in an outstanding all-round performance to inspire Supernovas to a four-run victory over Velocity in the final of the Women’s Twenty20 Challenge last weekend.
Playing at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday, the 30-year-old top-scored with 62 off 44 deliveries as Supernovas rallied to 165 for seven from their 20 overs.
The Barbadian then returned to take two for 28 from four overs of medium pace to help restrict Velocity to 161 for eight from their 20 overs, South African Laura Wolvaardt’s unbeaten 65 off 40 deliveries going in vain.
For her efforts, Dottin earned Player-of-the-Match and Player-of-the-Series honours, finishing with 100 runs and four wickets from three matches.
Sent in, Supernovas benefited from Dottin’s enterprise, the right-hander posting 73 for the first wicket with Priya Punia (28) and adding a further 58 for the second wicket with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (43).
Dottin punched a four and four sixes, reaching her half-century off 33 deliveries in the 11th over by clearing the ropes at long on with left-arm spinner Radha Yadav.
She was second out at the end of the 15th over, bowled missing a scoop at off-spinner Deepti Sharma (2-20) but Harmanpreet kept the innings going, striking a four and three sixes in her 29-ball knock.
In reply, Velocity were away to a swift start, Shafali Verma (15) and Yastika Bhatia (13) posting 29 off just 13 deliveries for the first wicket.
However, Dottin struck with the first ball of her spell when she got Verma to glove to the ’keeper, the dismissal triggering a slide that saw five wickets tumble for 35 runs.
Wolvaardt, who counted five fours and three sixes, propped up the innings in a 40-run, sixth wicket stand with Sneh Rana (15) but another cluster of wickets – three for 13 runs off nine balls – once again set Velocity back.
Wolvaardt made one last attempt to rescue the run chase when she put on 44 in an unbroken partnership for the ninth wicket with Simran Bahadur who struck 20 off ten balls with three fours and a six.
With 17 needed from the final over from Sophie Ecclestone (2-28), Wolvaardt struck a six off the first ball but six runs off the final delivery proved out of reach.