By Brandon Corlette
Playing cricket in England is always a dream, especially for Test cricketers. Scoring runs is even a sweeter taste. England is deemed as one of the most challenging places to ply your trade in cricket, and the Men in Maroon are eager to perform at their optimum best.
West Indies number one Test wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich is also hungry for runs in the three-match Test series against England, which starts on July 8. With the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo opting out of the tour, Dowrich, in his virtual press conference on Sunday, disclosed that he never gave moving up the order a thought.
“I am just here to help the team and whatever the team requires, I am willing to do. It would be up to the Coach and Captain and I have not given [it] much thought,” Dowrich posited.
With England being challenging territory, Dowrich revealed that he was eager to score a Test century there. “Scoring runs away from home is always a challenge, but if you would rate yourself as a player you have to be able to do it and I think I have been putting in enough work to come up with something in this series.”
The 28-year-old Dowrich, who has 31 Test caps under his belt, will have to do the hard yards with the gloves as the ball is expected to swing. “The last time I was here, I found it a bit difficult. I did some work with James Foster, and I think the more I practise, the more I will be able to manage it when it comes game time,” he explained.
Back in 2017, Dowrich had a difficult experience scoring 24 runs in the six innings. “The last time in England was very tough for me, it was a series that changed my career. I was young and in unfamiliar territory and I did not cope well. Since then I have learnt a lot and I consider myself a different player than I was three years ago. Playing in England is always a challenge, but I am prepared now.”
Dowrich, who is raring to go, added tape on the ball which moves around more after it passes the batsmen. With West Indies set to play two practice matches starting from Tuesday, Dowrich believes that playing these matches against players from the Caribbean will be very competitive. “Every time you go in the nets, you face three to four quality fast bowlers and everyone is looking to do well and looking to put their name out there, to either put their hands up to be selected or maintain a spot in the team,” he highlighted.
Batting with the lower order/bowlers is a case of trust. “You have to give them some confidence,” Dowrich explained. The Barbadian glovesman is excited to see the West Indies pacers steam in against England. “I think we have a well-versed attack, and I am looking forward to see them in the series.”
In his 31 Tests, Dowrich has 1444 runs at an average of 30. He hinted that he was aiming to score at an average of 40 in this Test series. Dowrich has 78 catches and five stumpings in his career thus far.
