Bowes joins the bandwagon of players taking a detour from South Africa and migrating to other countries in the hunger to pursue their cricket careers. A right-hand batsman and part-time medium-pacer, Bowes led South Africa at the 2012 U-19 World Cup in Australia and was one of the consistent run-getters for his side in the tournament. Under his captaincy, the Proteas reached the semi-finals where they lost to hosts Australia.

With limited opportunities to prosper in his home country, Bowes decided to shift base to New Zealand in 2015, following the path of the likes of Grant Elliott, Neil Wagner and Kruger van Wyk. In February 2016, he made his debut for Canterbury and blasted his first century for the club in November. Bowes continued to churn out runs like a factory for Canterbury and finished as the leading run-scorer in the 2017/18 Plunket Shield. In June 2018, he extended his contract with Canterbury till 2021.