Deandra Dottin: "It has been an honour and a privilege – we definitely take the invitation from the heart"

NICK FRIEND: West Indies Women arrived in Derby on Monday ahead of a milestone series for the women's game, with a five-match T20I series beginning on September 21

West Indies vice-captain Deandra Dottin has described the opportunity to travel to England for five T20Is as “an honour and a privilege” for the visiting side.

Dottin and her teammates arrived in Derby on Monday on a chartered flight ahead of the landmark series, which was put together at short-notice by the respective cricket boards of England and West Indies after both India and South Africa opted out of scheduled tours to the United Kingdom because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions.

When it was announced on August 18 that South Africa would not be able to fulfil their visit, ECB managing director of women’s cricket Clare Connor admitted she was “immensely disappointed” with the news.

With Derbyshire’s Incora County Ground laid on as both training base and match venue, she added at the time: “We have been committed from the outset to deliver the same bio-secure standards for both men's and women's international cricket, an investment that included exclusive hotel use for teams, chartered flights and medical provisions.”

While women's cricket returned to the international stage in mid-August when Austria and Germany faced one another, this series marks the return of the international women's game among full ICC members.

Speaking on Thursday, Dottin said: “It has been an honour and a privilege – we definitely take the invitation from the heart because we’re actually so excited. Yes, it is a last-minute thing that has been put in place, but we actually made it and we were open to travel.

“I think it’s very important. It’s very good to actually get some cricket in, with what’s going on with Covid-19 and stuff. I think it’s a chance for both teams – all games are being televised, so it will be worldwide and more exposure.

“I think it’s a good step to actually encourage other teams and show them that they definitely have safety and they’re well taken care of in these Covid times. You can actually not panic and just make a move.”

^{Dottin endured a poor T20 World Cup}

The talismanic allrounder, who managed just 13 runs in West Indies’ disappointing T20 World Cup campaign, also revealed that she is fit to bowl, having last bowled in international cricket in February 2019.

“I’m feeling pretty good at this moment,” she added. “It’s been a long time I’ve been out; I’ve been working on specific stuff as in strengthening back my injury. My form is there but there are still more areas that I can improve on. All in all, I’m actually feeling pretty good and glad to be here in England to play this series.

Training has been good. We’ve been doing different things – there has been the social distancing stuff. I think it’s pretty exciting. I think all the girls are excited to be back out to play cricket – for us to be together and playing and training as one team.”

England seamer Kate Cross told The Cricketer last week of her immense gratitude to the travelling West Indies squad.

“They have just been unbelievable throughout all of this,” she said. “I just think it’s testament to them that they are equally as keen to get cricket on as the ECB are.

“I just think that you can’t thank teams like that enough for traveling at a time when it’s so uncertain. I’m not sure how I would feel about traveling abroad at the minute, so you have to take your hat off and be really grateful that they’re going to come over and give us an opportunity.”

While England have been back in training since June, their opponents have not had that luxury – both because of the geography of the various islands and also because of the unexpected nature of the offer to tour in September.

Asked whether she would like England to return the goodwill of Stafanie Taylor’s tourists by reciprocating in organising a return tour to the Caribbean, Dottin said: “I would like that to happen but we can only control what we can.

“So, if that cannot work then we accept that. But if we can, then we’d accept that as well.”

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