Though his team is eager to break their almost 20-year West Indies Four-Day Championship title drought, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force captain Joshua Da Silva says their primary focus remains to deliver consistent performances for the remainder of the campaign.
Da Silva pointed out that the Red Force are not looking too far ahead but instead are taking things one game at a time, with hopes that by being consistent, they will inevitably achieve the title-winning feat. They last won the title in 2006.
The Red Force are already well positioned with two wins and one draw to their credit and only four rounds remaining, including crucial encounters against leaders Guyana Harpy Eagles and the always formidable Barbados Pride.
They currently sit second in the standings on 55.4 points, just behind trailing the Harpy Eagles, who have 57.6 points, with Leeward Islands Hurricanes close behind in third on 50.8 points.
“Every year we talk about it and keep saying it has been 18 years, 19 years, and now 20 years. It is always in the back of our minds, but this year as a group, we have decided that we are just going to take it game by game,” Da Silva said during a media briefing.
“Yes, we are off to a great start, but we still have some tough games coming up. We play (West Indies) Academy next and then Barbados, so for us, it is just taking it one by one, trying to get a win and then get another win. Hopefully, it works for us this year,” he added.
The Red Force have enjoyed a promising campaign so far, which is a stark contrast to past seasons, where inconsistent batting plagued their efforts. However, this year has seen significant contributions from key players, including Da Silva himself, who scored consecutive centuries in the last round against the Hurricanes.
“We want to score runs all the time, but it does not happen all the time. Sometimes you go through patches where things don’t go your way or something goes wrong, and then sometimes you just have to make use of the purple patch you have,” he explained.
“The preparation has been pretty much the same… it was a good surface to bat on (against Hurricanes at Warner Park), and I just tried to make use of the conditions,” Da Silva added.
Experienced middle-order batsman Jason Mohammed is the Red Force’s and, by extension, the tournament’s standout performer so far with 483 runs, including two centuries and a double century. On the bowling chart, the Red Force’s left-arm spinner Khary Pierre has also been exceptional, with 26 wickets at the summit.
Da Silva praised their impact.
“We’ve had a lot of good performances, but those two definitely stand out. Khary has been exceptional over the past few years; he just has not been rewarded with the wickets. Jason, with his experience and knowledge of the game, has come to the party once again for us, and hopefully he continues that good form and guides the youngsters, myself included. It is just motivating all of us to do more and score more runs,” Da Silva ended. Sportsmax
