KINGSTON, Jamaica, (CMC):
West Indies wicket-keeper/batsman Shane Dowrich says he is aiming for consistency with bat and gloves as he tries to cement a place in the Test team.
The pint-sized 25-year-old made a fighting 56 off 130 balls with nine boundaries in the first innings of the ongoing first Test against Pakistan on Friday at Sabina Park, to help rescue West Indies from a position of 71 for five in the first over after lunch.
For Dowrich, the knock was his fifth half-century in nine Tests and he said he was focused on building on this foundation.
“Test cricket is hard. It’s tough work, but I enjoy every moment of it. You work hard in the nets and you look to put that into play when you take the field,” the Barbadian said.
“I do a lot of work in the nets, on my batting with Toby Radford and my keeping with Andre Coley as I know that’s the way to succeed.
“What I’m looking for is consistency. I want to contribute with the bat when I go to the crease and I want to be reliable and efficient behind the stumps.
CLEAR GOALS
“I have clear goals in mind as a player and also focus on the team goals, and one key area is to be consistent and bring solidity to the middle order.”
Dowrich was helped in his resistance on the opening day by Roston Chase, who stroked 63, as the pair added 118 for the sixth wicket.
West Indies reached the close on 244 for seven, but with only 55 minutes play possible on Saturday’s day, they crawled to 278 for nine before being dismissed on Sunday for 286.
“It was a difficult situation when I came in to bat with five wickets down for just over [71]. So the thinking was just to bat long, bat us out of trouble, and bat as deep as possible,” Dowrich explained.
“Roston was playing really well, so I just had to support him by rotating the strike and looking to make the bowlers work.”
Dowrich made his Test debut two years ago against Australia and has now become the first-choice gloveman in the Test side. His finest match was last November in the United Arab Emirates against Pakistan, when he scored 47 and 60 not out as West Indies won the third and final Test match in Sharjah.
