There is doubt about who is the top wicket-keeping/batsman in the Caribbean; the title easily goes to Shane Dowrich.
He’s not a long way ahead of the pack and one can certainly make cases for Guyanese Anthony Bramble who has had an exceptional few years for the Guyana Jaguars and Jahmar Hamilton of the Leeward Islands. But there’s no mistaking the plot here; Dowrich leads them all.
But ahead of the upcoming three-match Test series against England, the 28-year old Barbadian needs the sort of career-defining series not only for the West Indies to succeed but also for his name to be more internationally recognized.
Most of this is speculative since the ICC doesn’t have an ongoing ranking system to distinguish who are the top glovesmen as is done to determine who are the premier batters and bowlers. But a recently held online poll done by the ICC asking who are the top `keepers showed that fans didn’t really consider Dowrich’s handy work.
That is why I arrived at the conclusion that Dowrich needs to come out strongly against England. In that same ICC online poll, it was concluded that “the best wicket-keepers are the ones you barely notice. But the ones with flair, quick reflexes, lightning-fast hands, smooth movement behind the stumps, and a sharp cricketing mind are an absolute treat.”
Dowrich falls into the barely noticeable category. He goes about his work quietly and after 31 test matches he has so far gloved 83 dismissals; 78 catches and five stumpings. His returns aren’t mind-blowing especially when you compare him to guys like Tim Paine.
The Australian after the same number of matches has 57 more dismissals while South African Quinton de Kock who is three matches away from his 50th test cap already has 202 dismissals under his belt. Jonny Bairstow after 70 matches has 186 while Sri Lankan Niroshan Dickwella after 37 has 109 scalps.
All the wicket-keepers mentioned above get more opportunities largely because they play in more bowler-friendly conditions than the West Indies. In the case of Paine, he has a world-class bowling attack to brag about. Nevertheless, Dowrich on his own volition said he needs a good series in England. The last time he toured there in 2017, he endured a torrid time. He averaged under five with the bat and took nine dismissals.
“I consider myself a different player to what I was three years ago,” Dowrich said during an interview. He added: “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.”
To his credit, he has lifted his game since the 2017 disaster series and can lay claim to being one of the best wicketkeeper/batsmen in the world. Since the start of 2018, no `keeper has scored more Test runs at a better average. This is according to ESPN’s analysis.
But the real “Test” awaits him when he comes up against James Anderson and company. If he conquers England – one of the most difficult places to stand behind the stumps – by gloving most if not all of his dismissals and is an engine room force with the bat then I believe he will earn the respect of the other wicket-keepers in the International Gloves-Men Association.
