Deandra Dottin experienced a medical emergency just before the start of West Indies' innings in the T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia at The Oval, leaving her teammates and fans deeply concerned. Shortly after the national anthems, Dottin, who had warmed up with the team and lined up for the anthems, was seen calling for assistance and was carried off the field by Zaida James and Shawnisa Hector, with other squad members offering support. She was treated in the medical room for approximately 30 minutes after play began and was later taken out in a wheelchair, only appearing in the dugout near the end of the 14th over.

The exact nature of her illness was not confirmed, but less than an hour after the incident, Dottin walked unassisted down the changeroom steps to prepare to bat. Initially slotted at No. 5 in the team sheet at the toss, she came out at No. 8 with West Indies struggling at 83 for 6 in the 16th over. Her explosive knock of 26 off 16 balls, including three fours in the last seven deliveries, gave the innings a late lift and helped West Indies post 125 for 7 after a collapse of 5 for 26. However, Australia chased down the target with 42 balls remaining to secure their eighth T20 World Cup final appearance.

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews later described the moment as deeply unsettling. "I think it was a bit scary," she said at the presentation. "She's obviously a massive part of the team. To see her almost passing out during the national anthems was a bit scary. But she was able to come back and also play; that speaks to her character. We wanted to get off to a good start and put Australia under pressure. We weren't sure if she was coming out, so we needed to take the game deep."

Speaking at the press conference, Matthews added: "I just know she had a medical emergency at the time. What's really important is the way she was able to come back and come out. She showed a lot of heart and fight by playing the way she did after that happened. It was obviously a bit worrying for us at the time, but at the same time, we tried to put that behind us and go out there and get the job done."

Dottin, one of West Indies' most experienced players, had struggled for form throughout the tournament, failing to pass 21 in her previous five innings before this knock. Despite the defeat, West Indies reached a second successive T20 World Cup semi-final, though they had missed out on the 2025 ODI World Cup.