Cricket may be the second most followed sport across the globe, but few games can match the emotional pull it creates among its supporters. Across formats, the sport continues to produce extraordinary drama, while World Cups bring an added level of intensity. That excitement has grown even further since the T20 World Cup arrived in 2007.
Two years after that launch, the women’s game received its own global T20 platform with the introduction of the Women’s T20 World Cup, giving cricket another major stage. If fans are asked to name the first centurion in T20 World Cup history, Chris Gayle’s name is the obvious answer. Yet the West Indies also produced another trailblazer: the first player to score a century in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Who Created the First Landmark Moment in the Women’s T20 World Cup?
In T20 cricket, West Indies batters have built a special reputation. The world still celebrates the Universe Boss for becoming the first batter to make a hundred in the T20 World Cup, but another Caribbean great holds the same historic distinction in the women’s tournament.
The Men’s T20 World Cup began in 2007, and the Women’s T20 World Cup followed in 2009. In the second edition of the women’s competition, West Indies star Deandra Dottin reached a milestone that became part of cricket history.
During the opening match of that tournament, Dottin produced a superb century against South Africa Women. It was more than just a record-breaking innings; it became a defining statement that helped open the door for future stars and shifted the wider conversation around women’s cricket.
‘Dottin Dominance’ Takes Control Against the Protea Women
In that memorable match against South Africa Women, West Indies Women found themselves in serious trouble at 52/4. From that position, Deandra Dottin emerged as the team’s main source of hope.
With Shanel Delay at the other end, Dottin immediately took command. South Africa Women’s bowlers began to lose control as the West Indies batter launched her attack around the ground.
Dottin first reached a composed half-century from 26 deliveries before accelerating to three figures in only 12 more balls. Her explosive 38-ball hundred made her the first woman to score a century in the T20 World Cup.
Built around her unbeaten 112, West Indies Women posted 175 runs and went on to win the match by 17 runs. For a cricket world that had long placed the men’s game at the centre of attention, Dottin’s innings showed that women’s cricket could deliver the same brilliance and sense of wonder.
Dottin’s Knock Inspires a Legacy for the Next Generation
At a time when cricket was still widely viewed through a male-dominated lens, players such as Deandra Dottin challenged that perception on one of the sport’s biggest stages. From 2009 to 2024, the Caribbean star featured in eight editions of the T20 World Cup while representing West Indies.
Across 35 matches in the tournament, she made 770 runs, including one century and three half-centuries. Before the 2024 edition, she came out of retirement and once again played for her country.
After Dottin struck the first century in Women’s T20 World Cup history, the tournament waited four more years for its next hundred, when Meg Lanning scored one against Ireland in 2014. At a stage when women’s cricket was still growing its global identity, Dottin’s historic innings became an important part of shaping what came next.
