'Thankful for everything she's done for West Indies cricket' - Hayley Matthews pays heartfelt tribute to Deandra Dottin

Barbados bowed out of Commonwealth Games 2022 on Wednesday, 3rd August, after a humiliating 100-run defeat against India. Following the conclusion of the contest, Barbadian skipper Hayley Matthews spoke about the retirement of veteran opening batter Deandra Dottin, mid-way through the historic tournament.

Dottin, the fourth leading run-scorer in T20Is, announced her shocking retirement on Monday via her Twitter handle, citing the poor environment in the team. She has scored of the fastest century in Women’s T20Is and is also the most-capped player for West Indies in international cricket.

Barbados skipper and longtime team-mate of Dottin spoke about her decision to retire midway through the CWG 2022. “Thankful to Deandra for everything she’s done for West Indies cricket, She’s obviously been a wonderful player for us over the last couple of years, and it’s sad to see her go, but at the same time if it’s something that she’s ready for, then supporting her 100%,” Matthews said when asked about her reaction to Dottin’s decision.

‘I definitely would have a chat with her and see how things go’ – Hayley Matthews on Dottin’s retirement

Matthews, who was appointed the skipper of the team in June earlier this year, revealed that she had no idea about her teammates’ plans regarding her retirement. She told the media that her focus was on Barbados’ qualification to the knockout stages and wasn’t aware of her compatriot’s shock retirement plans.

Barbados suffered a defeat at the hands of tournament favorites Australia in the first match but bounced back in style after defeating Pakistan in the following match. But with a victory needed in their last group match, the Barbadians didn’t turn up in the game and suffered a harrowing 100 runs defeat to India, who dumped them out of the tournament and became the fourth and final team to progress through to the semi-final after Australia, New Zealand, and England.

“[I’m] obviously down here representing Barbados and everything, so probably not looking to speak too much on that at the moment, But yeah, I definitely would have a chat with her and see how things go,” Matthews said on Wednesday after her side suffered a 100-run defeat against India in their final Group A game.