Not wanting to be a spoilsport or rain on the parade of euphoria, success, and elation currently embracing Trinidad and Tobago cricket, there is one thing that has troubled me for a while, and this is as good a time as any to raise it.
Why has Joshua Da Silva fallen so far out of favour with Cricket West Indies (CWI)? He has gone from being considered a potential West Indies captain to a non-factor where the CWI selection panel is concerned.
Is it that Da Silva spoke out of turn to the media (April 28, 2025 edition of the Trinidad Newsday)? Or is he paying for past sins when skin colour determined who captained the West Indies cricket team? We moved past that era with Sir Frank Worrell. However, is it that there are those who feel deep down that Da Silva, for non-cricket reasons, should never captain the regional side?
It was noticeable that, following the conclusion of the West Indies Championship, when the individual awards were announced, the category Da Silva had an excellent chance of winning eluded him. Those in the know claim it is the first time "most dismissals" weren't used.
What is truth? What is fiction? What is a figment of one's imagination? It could even be a touch of insularity. However, one cannot help but wonder: who did Joshua Da Silva offend?
If you look at the batting averages of those who have maintained the confidence of head coach Daren Sammy and the selectors, it makes for interesting reading–as do the West Indies Championship statistics since 2024.
Regardless of how harsh and difficult his banishment to the CWI wilderness may be, Da Silva has led T&T with class and dignity, responding to his critics and doubters as a true leader would.
T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath has called for the Red Force team to be bestowed with a national award, a call that is merited. The Red Force is, after all, our official national cricket team.
T&T won the West Indies Championship for the first time since 2006, breaking a 20-year drought. In winning the crown–T&T’s sixth–the Red Force dethroned Guyana, who were winners in each of the previous three years. T&T has won the regional Four-Day title with previous wins in 1969-70, 1970-71, 1975-76 (shared with Barbados), 1984-85, and 2005-06.
It was a total team effort under the leadership of Da Silva and coach Rayad Emrit. Congratulations must also go to the Bassarath-led TTCB.
On Saturday, the TTCB paid tribute to CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow during the closing ceremony of the TTCB/TKR Trinidad T20 Festival at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair, Port-of-Spain.
"Here in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Kishore Shallow is considered family,” the TTCB stated as it honoured the regional cricket administrator for his contribution to West Indies cricket and his relationship with T&T cricket.
The TTCB praised Shallow’s leadership since assuming the presidency of CWI, highlighting his focus on development, unity and governance across the region.
It was a welcome display of Caribbean camaraderie and unity.
But all that doesn't change the price of cocoa. We are happy and proud of Joshua and his fellow players and Dr Shallow is indeed "family". However, the question no one wants to ask two years later is still: Who did Joshua Da Silva rub the wrong way? Who did he offend?
Drunk or sober, mind your business. It's not insularity, it's accountability.
Editor’s note:
The views expressed in the preceding article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of any organisation in which he is a stakeholder.
