England v West Indies 2020: Shane Dowrich punches above his weight

Shane Dowrich carries the 'pocket dynamite' sobriquet. For, obscured beneath the diminutive right-hander's juvenile grin and slender frame lay rather pernicious quirks. Like an explosive clandestinely planted inside gaming machine hammer arcade. Appearances can be deceptive, and for whatever his facade suggests, Shane Dowrich ain't no shrinking violet.

The first boundary unfurled from Shane Dowrich's willow drove the point home. Despite having watched Jermaine Blackwood bite the dust while going after Dominic Bess, the West Indies' wicket-keeper batsman pranced down the track and launched the off-spinner over mid-on. That he seized hold of the dangling carrot and flexed his muscles quite early into the innings wasn't reckless abandon on his part, but sheer pragmatic intent.

Bess may well have ascribed the rambunctious strike to beginner's luck. However, such fallacious notions were duly quashed the very next ball when Shane Dowrich spanked back past the bowler an almighty hoick with his head alignment nigh perfect. Notwithstanding his sharp-witted tackling of Bess, neutralizing England's pace battery was a different kettle of fish altogether. But thanks to his uber-cool demeanour and watertight technique, Shane Dowrich cleared the hurdle unscathed striking an equilibrium between prudence and flair.

Shot Boy Dow!!!#WIReady #ENGvWI #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/mAOrxc67m1

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) July 10, 2020

Shane Dowrich blocked Jofra Archer's thunderbolts right under his nose, the soft hands even allowing him to garner few streaky yet vital runs towards the third man whenever the cherry misbehaved. Though James Anderson plied his trade around the fourth-stump channel with remarkable accuracy, Shane Dowrich, and for that matter, Roston Chase benefitted from Mark Wood and Archer's tendency to be profligate in operation.

He threw the kitchen sink at anything marginally loose on offer, the highlight being an exquisite square cut off Wood through backward point.

Proactive approach lends Shane Dowrich success

That Shane Dowrich kept an eye on scoring avenues and capitalized promptly when the opportunity presented itself was central to his marvellous exploits. Kraigg Braithwaite, who himself registered an enterprising fifty, showered praise on the buck-eared youngster.

"I think England bowled really well and it was challenging. Dowrich and myself did a good job for the team. This is a low-scoring game and tomorrow will be key. The batsmen did a decent job to get a lead and it's important to kick on from here.", the Windies' opener said after the day's play.

Regardless of lynchpins Shai Hope and Jason Holder departing for pedestrian numbers, West Indies now find themselves holding the aces in context of the game. And much of the credit for that belongs to Shane Dowrich, who couldn't have chosen a better occasion to justify his moniker.