Dream journey of Joshua Da Silva

THE EDITOR: It was March 7 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando, venue for the four-day regional match between arch-rivals TT and Barbados.

I was seated high up in the TTCB skybox hosted by the president, Azim Bassarath. Two of the guests that day were the parents of Joshua Da Silva, Michael and Caroline. Their son had scored 77 runs in the first innings and they were anxiously awaiting his second-innings knock. TT was in control of the match.

I had an opportunity to chat with them for over two hours. Apart from his love for curry, they proudly spoke about their son’s greater love for sports and, in particular, the wonderful game of cricket.

According to his parents, Josh, as he is fondly called, is the emblem of discipline, hard work and humility.

Josh came out to bat, but this time around he fell for 15, bowled by a top delivery from fast bowler Chemar Holder.

"Good ball," acknowledged his dad. TT eventually won the match by 147 runs.

Earlier in January, Josh scored his maiden first class hundred (113*) vs Jamaica at the same venue.

Fast forward to December 11 at the Basin Reserve Cricket Ground, Wellington, New Zealand.

Josh was one of the six reserves selected for the New Zealand tour. After regular wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich pulled out for "personal reasons" that he was drafted into the squad for the second Test.

At the age of 22, Joshua Da Silva became the sixth West Indian wicketkeeper to score a half century on Test debut and the first since 2005. In a losing cause, he scored a well-crafted 57 in the second innings in 84 balls with six fours. He looked rather comfortable playing against the Kiwi world-class pace attack of Southee, Boult, Wagner and Jamieson.

Joshua had already laid a solid foundation to play cricket at the highest level and more so in foreign conditions.

In January 2016, he was part of an under-17 goodwill tour to New Zealand. According to his coach and mentor, Andre Lawrence (a former TT all-rounder), Josh excelled on the tour, scoring over 500 runs. The local boys won ten of 11 games.

In 2017, Josh was the recipient of the Kieron Pollard Scholarship Scheme that took him to England for almost six months. He played third division club cricket for Surrey-based Old Wimbledonian CC and averaged over 60.

As congratulations poured in from all quarters after his successful Test debut, his dad revealed to me that during his college days, Josh was asked to chose between cricket and football – both of which he played dutifully for his alma mater, St Mary's College.

The right choice was made.

Joshua Da Silva's dream to become a West Indies Test cricketer has been fulfilled and he plans to keep dreaming of greater things.

REZA ABASALI

via e-mail

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"Dream journey of Joshua Da Silva"

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