David Williams was born on November 4, 1963, in Penal Trinidad. From 1988 to 1998, he played 11 Tests and 36 ODIs for the West Indies.
Williams, who stands at 5 ft 4in tall, struggled to replace Jeff Dujon for the international matches. The reason for this is not least because he did not contribute the number of runs Dujon did. Williams is the sort of man born to be described as diminutive. Although he was a perfectly competent wicketkeeper, his struggles with the bat let him down. In 18 completed Test innings, David Williams made seven ducks.
Williams achieved just 13.44 in Tests, with just one score of 50 or more, compared to Dujon’s 31.94. That was against England in 1997-98, which helped the West Indies to a three-wicket win in Trinidad. His contribution was 65 runs and added a match-winning 129 runs partnership with Carl Hooper.
This was a rare high point for Williams, however, three consecutive ducks followed that innings and he was dropped for the final test of the series. He was mainly a wicket-keeper so, his acrobatic contribution is still remembered. He was never hesitating to fly behind the wickets. The little man is very brave to keep against the fast blowing of Ambrose, Bishop, Walsh, Marshall, and Patrick Patterson.
In the 2nd Test match against Australia in 1992-93, he took a brilliant catch of Mark Waugh off Ambrose’s bowling. That was a treat to watch. Similarly, he captured a stunning catch of Ramiz Raja off Patrick Patterson bowling in 1990, and then Ijaz Ahmad’s catch off Malcolm Marshall Bowling.
In 2007, Williams became assistant coach of the West Indies team before the first World Twenty20 World Championships. As a substitute fielder, he enthusiastically took part in the fourth Test against England in Barbados in March 2009.
David Williams played 124 first-class matches for Trinidad and Tobago between 1983 and 1999 averaging just 18.79, including two hundred and 8 fifties, with 151 catches and 39 stumpings. His highest score was 112.
