Cowan, 22, could not believe it. ``I was dumbfounded,'' he said. ``I didn't know what to say, but my team-mates were over the moon. A team bundle was nearly called for - a celebration.
``I thought there might be a chance of an A tour, but that was it. That was as far as I was looking ahead. If I'd got an A tour, I would have been the happiest person alive.''
Cowan had taken no notice of frequent media comment about his England chances. ``That never really matters until the decision is actually made. I had a good start to the season, but then I came to a slump and I thought, if I was to be critical with myself, that would cost me a tour.''
Having been rejected as a youth player by Leicestershire and Worcestershire because of a chronic back problem, this son of a Hertfordshire village cricketer was recommended to Essex by Ray East while a minor county player with Suffolk and when still a Framlingham schoolboy.
Cowan might have been gangly in those days but now he could be described as big and athletic, almost 6ft 4in and over 14 stone. And after two successive NatWest Trophy finals, his face has become familiar to millions.
His action is so fluid, to the point of being languid, that it is sometimes hard to believe he is bowling seriously, and he is all too aware of this impression.
``There's no doubt when I bowl that I give 100 per cent,'' he said, ``but people still think that I've got a couple of yards left in me because of the way I am so comfortable with my run up and action. I do bowl the odd ball faster when everything clicks and the ball comes out right.''
The remodelling of his front-on action at Chelmsford seems to have been a significant success after his back operation three years ago. His out-swingers from a distinctive upright action grooved nicely last year, and he made his name with a championship hat-trick against Gloucestershire at Colchester.
He knows that he might have no more than a minor role in the Caribbean. ``If I get a chance - or when I get a chance - I'm going to take it with both hands and prove to everybody I'm not just a youngster and that I can play,'' he said before donning his coloured clothing for yesterday's rescheduled 40-over Sunday League game at Old Trafford.