Travis Dowlin loves the game and he loves a fight. Put the two together and you have a tough battler who is “enjoying every minute” on the cricket field. The 32-year-old took the long route to international cricket but after waiting for over a decade for a call-up he got his first chance five months ago and has decided to make “every moment count”.
Travis Dowlin in action. Photo by Gordon Brooks/Digicelcricket.com
He played well in the first Test against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane last week and said he is looking forward to the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. First ball is 10.30 am (Thursday 8 pm Eastern Caribbean Time/7 pm Jamaica Time).
“I never thought I would play Test cricket … now that I’m here I’m relishing every moment. The chance came along and I’ve decided to take it one day at a time and make every moment count. I’m enjoying every minute. I am supported by everyone around and I am happy to be in the West Indies team.”
The closest he came to international status was as emergency fielder for the West Indies during international matches in Guyana. In 2008 he fielded as substitute against Sri Lanka and held two brilliant catches close to the wicket.
In the first Test against Australia at the Gabba, he held the West Indies first innings together with a resolute 62 from 150 balls in close to four hours at the crease. It was a typical innings – back-to-the-wall and fighting and was last man out. He described it as “character building”.
“It was good to get some runs behind my name and make a positive contribution to the team. I focus on my role and I always try to play to my strengths. I just look to do my stuff and I know my job is to bat and bat and score runs. I was a bit disappointed with the way I got out. That is something to work on in the coming days leading up to the second Test,” Dowlin said.
“If I am selected for Adelaide I am eager to go out there and do my job again. Wearing the maroon fills me with pride so I will be looking to make another major contribution. I play every game like it is my last so I will be giving 100 percent. This is Test cricket and it will always be tough. We spoke about this being a hard series and it is something we discussed at length in team meetings. I’m prepared mentally and physically for the challenge. We’ve spoken about a few things, we just need to improve our all-round cricket. It’ll be tough, it won’t be easy but obviously we are committed to the task. We definitely believe we can win.”
The third Test will be at the WACA Ground in Perth on December 16-20.