Hayley Matthews talks about Dottin's retirement

Deandra Dottin for TKR in The 6IXTY 2022

West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews recently claimed that the sudden retirement of Deandra Dottin created an opportunity for younger players to step up.

Veteran Dottin announced her exit from international cricket during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She made her debut in 2008 and represented her national side across 143 ODIs and 124 T20I matches.

Skipper Matthews shares her take on Dottin’s sudden exit

In a recent ICC podcast, recently-appointed West Indies captain Hayley Matthews said that Dottin’s retirement came as a shock, despite having conversations with her prior to the announcement.

Matthews described the 31-year-old as a “game changer” and thanked her for her contributions to West Indies cricket.

She also said that as a new captain, losing a player of Dottin’s calibre early in her captaincy regime was a tough spill to swallow. However, Matthews claimed she still supported her teammate’s decision.

“Maybe the timing of that exactly was a bit of a shock. But at the same time, I feel it was something that Deandra was ready for. I support her 100 percent. It’s quite difficult to start off as a captain and miss out on one of your best players.”

“But at the same time, it’d give an opportunity to one of the other girls coming through the system. I am so thankful to Deandra for everything she has done for West Indies. A game-changer, not just for West Indies but in the world for how she played and how she carried herself out on the field.”

Notably, both Matthews and Dottin went head-to-head in the final of the inaugural Women’s 6IXTY tournament at Warner Park on August 28.

Dottin scored just seven in the high-voltage final, while her side Trinbago Knight Riders fell 15 runs short of Matthews’ Barbados Royals.

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