Dangerous Dottin, consistent Matthews hands Barbados 5-wicket win over Guyana

Colonial Medical Insurance Women’s Super50 Cup…

By Brandon Corlette

Sealed with a Deandra Dottin six over long-on, it was a familiar result for Guyana when they suffered a five- wicket loss against Barbados at the National Stadium at Providence.

The Guyanese were bowled out for 159 in 42.3 overs when the brilliant Hayley Matthews dented the batting line-up with 4-25. In reply, Barbados ended on 164-5, with “player of the match” Deandra Dottin smashing her way to an unbeaten 75.
Under scintillating sunshine at a grassy Providence pitch, the Barbados captain Hayley Matthews won the toss and asked the Guyanese to bat first.
Openers Sheneta Grimmond and Mandy Mangru began proceedings for the hosts, but Grimmond was out soon enough for a seven-ball duck. She was out leg before to right arm pacer Shanika Bruce at 2-1.

The technically correct Mangru began playing shots, driving one through cover and slicing one through cover-point for boundaries. After she had added 40 runs with her captain Shemaine Campbelle, she closed the face of her bat early and was dismissed by a Shakera Selman full toss for 16, scored from 19 balls.
That brought Shabika Gajnabi at the crease, and she partnered Campbelle as the duo motored along nicely building a partnership of 48 runs. Campbelle, one of three centurions in this tournament, was out bowled by the skiddy Deandra Dottin for 40 from 62 balls, batting for 80 minutes and hitting six boundaries.

At 90-3, five Guyanese wickets fell when that team was further reduced to 130-8. Gajnabi was the first of the five, when she played an ugly swipe and was bowled by Dottin for 24 from 45 balls, inclusive three boundaries. Lashuna Toussaint (18), Akaze Thompson (02) and Melanie Henry (01) continued their bad patch in this tournament with the bat, while Cherry Ann Frazer fell for a golden duck to Matthews.
Tremayne Smartt, who has been batting with maturity, was once more called to bail her team out of trouble. She stuck around at the crease for her 19 from 30 balls, hitting two boundaries before she was caught and bowled by Selman.
Eventually the Guyanese were bundled out for 159 in 42.3 overs. Off-spinner Hayley Matthews was the chief architect with the ball, grabbing 4-25.
Windies new-ball bowler Shakera Selman had 2-23 in seven overs, while World number one, T20 all-rounder, Deandra Dottin had 2-26 in seven overs.
In hot pursuit of Guyana’s 160, Barbados lost Danielle Small out bowled for four to Erva Giddings at the end of the third over, with the score on 12-1.
The Guyanese coach and captain were tactically correct in opening the bowling with Erva Giddings and off-spinner Sheneta Grimmond. The Bajan top order, which accustomed to the ball coming on to the bat as was tested by the Guyanese bowling attack.
The tournament’s leading player, Hayley Matthews, fell for 11 from 14 balls after hitting two crisp boundaries. She fell for the spin-bait of Grimmond. She was out caught at the long-on boundary when the calm and composed Shabika Gajnabi completed a brilliant catch when the Barbados team slumped to 16-2 in four overs.
One of the two Knight sisters in the Barbados team, Kyshona Knight, became Grimmond’s second victim at 28-3 in 7.2 overs. Grimmond, bowling with control on the pitch suitable for the spinners, took the edge of Kyshona Knight’s bat and went into the gloves of Campbelle.
The other Knight, Kycia, was partnered by the explosive Dottin, and the pair ended the hiccups caused by the Guyanese with a counterattacking 91-run partnership. At the end of over number 19, Knight was out for 45 from 44 balls, after displaying eight classical boundaries in her 64 minutes’ innings. The dangerous Dottin showed class in her innings, reverse sweeping Mandy Mangru and smashing the faster bowlers to all areas of the ground. She reached her half-century from 37 balls in 57 minutes. After being dropped by Grimmond and surviving a few close run outs, her unbeaten innings of 75 from 55 balls lasted 76 minutes, hitting 12 fours and one six.
Bowling for the Guyanese, Sheneta Grimmond took 2-23 while the tournament’s best strike bowler Erva Giddings had 2-52 in 10 overs in a losing effort.
Speaking after the match, Barbados captain Hayley Matthews said this was a good game, and the team would take a lot of confidence from this win. She lauded the batters who have been tested after they were 28-3 in this match.
Meanwhile, ‘player of the match, Dottin, mistated that she was tasked of batting to the end after the loss of three wickets. Dottin and her team are focused on maintaining consistency heading into the other match and the upcoming T20 leg.