Series: West Indies in Pakistan Nov 2021
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Format: ODI
Toss: Pakistan
Result: West Indies by 45 runs
Deandra Dominates as Windies Go One Up
A near flawless century by opening batter Deandra Dottin paved the way for West Indies to win the first of three ODIs against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi. Her 132 was the fourth highest for the Windies in ODIs and won her the Player of the Match award.
Stand-in skipper for Pakistan Sidra Nawaz won the toss for the home team and invited Stafanie Taylor and the West Indies to bat first. The toss had little impact for the wicket was a road and would be flat for both teams. Not a day for bowlers.
Dottin and fellow opener Rashada Williams began cautiously, sizing up a Pakistan attack minus spearhead Diana Baig. The pace attack was carried by Fatima Sana, almost solely, and on her twentieth birthday. In true T20 fashion, Pakistan opened at the other end with left-arm spin bowler Anam Amin.
Captains at the toss 
Fatima Sana 
Deandra Dottin
After a couple of gentle overs, Deandra began to play her shots and the innings was underway. She was untroubled by whatever Pakistan tossed up and despite losing Williams (15) and very quickly Kyshona Knight who retired hurt, the opener continued to plunder runs. She joined by skipper Stafanie Taylor who went cheaply for 6, given out caught behind. She seemed perplexed at the decision, given that she’d missed the ball by two inches, but the captain took it on the chin, as she would later in the field when injured by a ball that bounced badly in front of her.
Hayley Matthews joined Dottin and the runs simply flowed from both blades. It was vintage stuff from both players and by the time 30 overs were complete the West Indies were 150/2. It seemed certain that 300 was on the cards and indeed should have been but the gang of left-arm slow bowlers for Pakistan not only put on the breaks but began to take wickets.
Against the run of play, Matthews fell for 57 and then the big one, Deandra Dottin for 132, both falling to Anam Amin. The free-flowing runs from earlier had dried up somewhat and on the back of Amin’s 5-35 and Fatima Sana’s 2-66, the West Indies finished with 253/9.
It was a reasonable total but one felt that there was 25-30 runs left out in the middle, however it proved more than enough. Pakistan started slowly and stayed that way, the scoring rate never causing the West Indies to sweat, despite the 34 degree heat and the home team were never in the hunt from the get go.
Dottin’s 2nd ODI ton 
Anam Amin draws applause from teammates 
Classic Hayley Matthews
Pakistan have struggled for runs in 2021 and whether or not their regular captain, Javeria Khan, was playing, one feels there just isn’t 250 runs in this team. Aliya Riaz (46) and Imran Javed (40) applied themselves but scores of 20, 30, 40 just aren’t going to get you to 250+ unless they are scored around somebody making a century as happened with the West Indies.
Hayley Matthews took 3-31 to finish with a good allround effort and Shakera Selman (2-35) does what she does: line and length, a bankable 10 overs every time for her team.
Pakistan will be keen to bolster their line-up with the return of Javeria and Diana. Today though, all prizes to the West Indies and a marvelous Player of the Match performance from Deandra Dottin.
Scores:
West Indies 253/9 (Deandra Dottin 132, Hayley Matthews 57, Anam Amin 5-35, Fatima Sana 2-66) 50 overs
Pakistan 208/9 (Aliya Riaz 46, Imran Javed 40, Hayley Matthews 3-31, Shakera Selman 2-35) 50 overs
Player of the Match: Deandra Dottin