Time to encourage and show other teams that their safety is taken care of, says Deandra Dottin, who is fit to bowl

Deandra Dottin, the West Indies vice-captain, has said that the girls are excited to be back out to train and play together as a team ahead of the five-match T20I series between England and West Indies.



“I think it’s pretty exciting,” Dottin said on Thursday (September 3). “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.”



On Monday (Aug 31), West Indies reached Derby, where they have been training in a bio-secure environment. All five matches are scheduled at the Derbyshire’s County Ground, and the series is set to begin on September 21.



Though it was an invitation on a short notice from the England and Wales Cricket Board after South Africa pulled out, Dottin said that it has been an honour and a privilege and that they take the invitation from the heart.



“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," said Dottin, who has 2,380 runs in T20Is, second-most for the Windies. "I think it’s a chance for both teams – all games are being televised, so it will be worldwide and more exposure.”



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"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."



The allrounder felt that this series would encourage other teams, and show them that they definitely have safety and that they are well taken care of in the time of the pandemic.



Dottin had a horror run with the bat in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, where West Indies won just one match in the group stage and failed to qualify for the knockouts, scoring just 12 runs. However, she said that she is feeling good at the moment and that she is fit to bowl in the upcoming series. The last time she rolled her arm in international cricket was 18 months ago.



“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,” she concluded.



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