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He has been perhaps just good or ordinary. As WI keeper and potentially a future cappo, he really need to differentiate himself, just being ordinary or good in the set up is not serving WI or TT well, he must go to the next level.

He needs to improve in two critical areas:
1. His batting needs to be more consistent
2. Fine tune is glove-work, not much has improved lately and as the current WI preferred gloveman, he must go to the next level.

In reply to Emir

I think DaSilva biggest deficiency is his concentration, he drops some easy looking catches.

Jewel Andrews will be on the WI team before Da Silva improves,Andrews will go on to be one of the best batsman in the Caribbean in no time,in fact pick him now.

In reply to granite

true. they'll probably pick him purely as a batsman

In reply to dayne

DaSilva's biggest weakness is going to his left, which is usually down the legside. Substandard footwork, especially when keeping to spinners..

His batting is not bad, but could improve. Unfortunately, you can say the same about every WI batsman.

In reply to Emir

Valid points re: areas of improvement

JOSHUA DA SILVA

SHANE DOWRICH

In reply to Jumpstart

Tell Josh to hit the treadmill and lose some weight - fast.

In reply to Emir

So can you kindly point me to the player that meets this requirement?

Josh took the second highest amount of test catches in the world last year.
Besides one dolly I thought he was super behind the stumps in Australia. He also had the highest score by any west indian in that series.
As for losing weight, baffling.
Are we ever happy.

In reply to Conorboy
I WAS SHOCKED AT THIS!

Genuinely shocked

Josh averages just over 4 dismissals per test match from 26 test matches so far.

Almost universally acclaimed “best WI keeper ever” Jeffrey Dujon averaged just over 3 dismissals per test match in his 81 test match career. And Dujon had the most fearsome bowling arsenal known to the game of cricket for the entire duration of his career.

DaSilva has Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Justin Greaves, and just recently Shamar Joseph.

DaSilva even surpassed the other contender for Dujon’s title, Gerry Alexander with 90 dismissals from his 25 test matches.


If he continues to be selected and continues at this pace, DaSilva will eclipse Dujon’s record in his 66th test match, 15 test matches fewer than Dujon.

That’s crazy! I would never have figured that for him.

Not bad for substandard footwork and truly, a makeshift keeper at the outset of his career.

In reply to imusic

Lest we forget that not too long ago DaSilva described himself on live TV as the worst wicketkeeper in the world It was actually a self deprecating comment that made DaSilva more likeable in my eyes.

But I always struggle with what is the best metric to evaluate wicketkeepers. Should it be the number of dismissals per match, number of dropped catches, number of stumpings, number of byes conceded, or some other stat? All of those stats, except perhaps dropped catches, are as much a function of the bowlers as the wicketkeeper. You point to the fact that DaSilva averages 2.16 dismissals per innings. Ramdin, who I think we both agree was a better glovesman than DaSilva, averaged 1.656 dismissals per innings. Courtney Browne averaged 2.25 dismissals per innings and David Williams averaged 2.21 dismissals per innings.

In reply to SnoopDog

His waistline has improved!

In reply to imusic

Should not be, stats is a snapshot in time- and for a wicket-keeper it is even more simple- a keeper can only have a chance to take a catch if it comes to him and DaSilva has had much more catches come his way thus far, than Dujon. In Dujon days, the slip cordon had a greater number of catches come their way.

DaSilva glovework is lacking not due to lack of concentration, but due to technical deficiency that he can fix. His batting is stymied due to lack of focus and a propensity to take low risk.

In reply to Walco

In reply to Emir

De Silva is subpar.

It's amazing how many here are clueless when quoting stats.
Mark Twain famously popularized the saying, “There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

Do you realize that keeper's catches are dependent on edges by batsmen.
Do you realize that keeper's stumpings are dependent on batsmen stepping out of the crease.
Do your realize that keeper's dismissals are dependent of the number of batsmen per innings/matches.

It is myopic to discuss keepers abilities by stats.

For example: JDS may have had more dismissals in the first test versus Ozz
If Wondies had provided more runs to defend.
Consequently, may have had more drop catches and or mis-stumpings.
Dujon was one of the worse keepers i've ever watched.
Poor footwork, which resulted in many dives.
The dives looked great, but were caused by poor footwork.
Plus Dujon had many dismissals cause of more edges, more fielding innings etc.
In Dujon's era, D. Murray was the best Windies keeper (technique-wise) bar none.

You can keeps all your stats and comparisons and shove them.

Questions/points to consider:
How is the keeper's footwork? (makes a difference to his keeping).
Great keepers do less diving as they anticipate and have great footwork.
Does he keep equally comfortable to left or right?
How is the keeper's glove work? (hard hands or soft hands).

There is no magic portion to comparing keepers.
IMO; JDS is very ordinary.
Dowrich is very ordinary.
Hamilton is brilliant.
Hope is brilliant.
I have not watch some youths much, so I will withhold comment.

BTW: Even brilliant keepers have their off moments.
I kept wicket for many years and it's hard to concentrate.
Even sweat drips down my eyes at times as I was about to receive a ball.
On one occasion, I remember a fly going into my eye as I was about to take a straight forward catch.


I am happy to have JDS at present, but his keeping is very ordinary.
He is probably the cleanest dirty shirt around.