Hayley Matthews, the captain of the West Indies, believes that Deandra Dottin's unexpected international retirement at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games has given a younger player a chance to emerge and earn a berth in the team.
When Deandra was on national service with Barbados for the women's T20 competition at the Commonwealth Games 2022, when her team did not qualify for medal matches, Deandra declared her retirement from international cricket for the West Indies.
"Being the captain at the start and losing one of your best players is difficult. However, it would also present a chance for one of the other ladies progressing through the system to join the team "explained Hayley in a recent episode of the ICC's podcast 100 percent Cricket.
Hayley said that even though she and Deandra had discussed her retirement, the timing of the news still caught her off guard. "Deandra and I had several previous chats during which she might have brought it up. Perhaps the precise timing of that came as a bit of a shock. In the meantime, though, I believe Deandra was prepared for it. I completely agree with her."
Hayley continued by praising Deandra as a "game-changer" for the West Indies cricket team. "For everything Deandra has done for West Indies cricket, I am incredibly grateful. A game-changer for the West Indies and the entire world because of the way she played and conducted herself on the field. Deandra's actions have earned her the gratitude of the entire cricketing community."
When questioned about her leadership style and prior experience leading Barbados at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Hayley stated, "The experience was excellent. First off, the team's support for me was outstanding, which is excellent, especially early on in your captaincy tenure. I can say without a doubt that the Commonwealth Games have taught me a lot."
"I always advise having as much fun as possible. Obviously, I'm still treating it seriously, but West Indians are the best cricketers when we actually enjoy ourselves on the field. I would thus make an effort to strongly encourage the girls who go out onto the field each time to have fun with what they are doing."
West Indies participated in several exciting games at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 in New Zealand, making it to the semifinals before falling to eventual champions Australia.
Hayley thinks West Indies can only get better if they keep up their fearless brand of cricket, especially with the Women's T20 World Cup taking place in South Africa the following year.
"The finest teams in the world are playing with a real lack of fear when you look around the globe. That is because they are aware of the overwhelming support they have. I simply believe that in this situation, the West Indian side must go out and play a gutsy kind of cricket."
Before concluding, Hayley acknowledged that the team would experience some setbacks as they develop a brave strategy, but that this wouldn't stop them from sticking to their aggressive game plan.
"We must put a lot of faith in ourselves and work extremely hard, even if that means losing some games. Maybe a little worse than we'd like, but the fact of the matter is that if we go out there and play with complete abandon, I believe it will also result in us winning a lot more games."