.jpg)
Bridgetown, Barbados – Deandra Dottin is on a mission to become the number one batter in women’s cricket. The hard-hitting right-hander believes she has it in her to be the world’s best and wants to prove it.
Dottin is presently part of the West Indies 18-member squad going through a month of intense training at the Sagicor High Performance Centre in Barbados. They are gearing up for the seven-match series against South Africa next month as well as the ICC Women’s World Cup in Mumbai, India from January 31 to February 17.
"I want to be number one … I know I can be the number one. But it will require lots of hard work and I know I’m fully capable of achieving this goal. I’ve put in a month of hard work here and will look to push on. It’s a long-term goal which I have set myself. I know I won’t suddenly ‘jump up’ and be in the number one position. What I ultimately want to do is get runs consistently for the team and lead us to more wins, in both ODIs and T20s," Dottin said.
"The camp has been great. For me, it came along at the perfect time. I was able to do a lot of work on my batting, settle down and concentrate hard on my game. I have been guilty in the past of going for some ‘big shots’, so my aim in the camp was to bat for long periods and build an innings. I have the power when the time is right."
Dottin added: "Also, to have the team together for a month – out of competition – was really good. Normally we only get together close to tours, but this time around we were able to come together as a group and share ideas and create a vision and plan for the team as we move forward to face South Africa and for the World Cup."
At this stage, Dottin is some distance away from the top spot. The latest ICC rankings have her at Number 9. The other West Indian in the Top 10 is Stafanie Taylor – at Number 2 in batting and Number 1 among the allrounders.
The South Africa Series bowls off at Warner Park in St Kitts with two ODIs on January 7 and 9 while Windsor Park in Dominica will host the other three ODIs on January 12, 13 and 15. Two back-to-back T20s will be played at the Beausejour Cricket Ground under lights on January 19 and 20. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN throughout the Caribbean and in select markets across the globe.
Dottin has a liking for the South African attack and the Warner Park ground. Two years ago she created history when she smashed a monumental 112 not out in the ICC World T20 tournament. The 21-year-old reached her century off just off 38 balls – a world record for the fastest century by a man or woman in a T20 International.
"Warner Park has a special place in my heart. I will always remember that day, those moments when I set the record. It was also against South Africa, so now I will get the chance to play against the same team at the same ground where I played my best innings.
"I won’t be targeting any particular bowler or go chasing another record. I will play it as it comes and look to build an innings. For me, it’s about playing smart cricket and trying to help the West Indies win more matches. We are a good team. We want to show the world how good we are."
FULL TRAINING SQUAD:
Merissa Aguilleira
Shemaine Campbelle
Shamilia Connell
Britney Cooper
Shanel Daley
Deandra Dottin
Kycia Knight
Kyshona Knight
Natasha McLean
Anisa Mohammed
Subrina Munroe
Juliana Nero
June Ogle
Amanda Samaroo
Shakera Selman
Tremayne Smartt
Shaquana Quintyne
Stafanie Taylor