London, June 22 (IANS) West Indies wicket-keeper batsman Shane Dowrich has expressed his desire to score a Test hundred in England, as the two nations lock horns in a three-Test series from next month which will mark the restart of the game since being halted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’d like to leave England with a Test hundred, and I’m looking to average around 40 in this series,” Dowrich was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
“I would love to score a Test hundred in England: scoring runs is always a challenge, but I think if you’re going to rate yourself as a player, you have to be able to do it. I think I’ve put in enough work to come away with something in the series,” added Dowrich who has the best average among keepers globally since the start of 2018.
The 28-year old struggled for runs when West Indies last toured England in 2017.
“I consider myself a different player to what I was three years ago,” Dowrich said from Emirates Old Trafford, where West Indies have now been based for the best part of two weeks.
“The last time I was here, it was very tough for me – it was a series that really changed around my career.
“I was young, I was in unfamiliar territory – to be honest, I really didn’t cope well with it. Since then, I’ve been able to go away and I’ve learned a lot from my experience over here last time. Playing in England will always be a challenge, but I think I’m ready for it.”
There will be a three-day warm-up match starting on Tuesday, the first of two that West Indies will play among themselves before the first Test.
“I think it’s an advantage, to be honest,” he said on playing intra-squad fixtures.
“The quality of our practice has been very high: every time you go into the nets, you’re facing three or four quality fast bowlers. The games are going to be pretty competitive. Everyone is looking to do well and put their name out there in terms of getting into the team or staying in it.”
–IANS
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