Da Silva has great expectations

Trinidad and Tobago’s Joshua Da Silva harbours ambitions of becoming a cricketing great and is eager to break into the West Indies senior team and play for a very long time.

The 22-year-old wicketkeeper/batsman made his senior debut for Trinidad and Tobago in December 2018 and, so far, has made a case for future selection to the West Indies senior team.

In 16 first-class matches, Da Silva has scored 855 runs at an average of 32.88. In those matches, he has scored an unbeaten century and five fifties. It was a good enough record to have him called to the reserve squad when the West Indies travelled to England for the three-Test #Raisethebat series earlier this summer.

He was the only player to score a century in the warm-up matches as the West Indies prepared to defend the Wisden Trophy.

“That experience in England was truly amazing and probably the best experience of my cricketing career so far,” he told SportsmaxTV.

“To score that 100 was an amazing feeling. Even to be part of that set-up was something I could only dream of, but definitely I think I can break into the senior team very soon. I just have to keep showing the selectors that I am worthy of playing at that level and just keep scoring runs, that is the only currency there is.

“Jimmy Adams (CWI Director of Cricket) told me that last year, there is only one currency in cricket and that is runs and I am just going to try and do that to the best of my ability, so once I score runs I should be able to move up the ranks very quickly.”

Such is his thinking, that Da Silva doesn’t just want to get into the senior side. Once he gets there, he plans to be there for a long time.

“I think I can be a good asset to the West Indies senior team. My goal is just to get into the team and make my debut, make a statement and be there for a long time,” he said.

“But once I get in, the goal is to stay in. I don’t just want to play at that level, I want to be great at it. I want to perform and represent the West Indies for as long as I can.” (SportsMax)