ST GEORGE’S, Grenada– Joshua Da Silva said Friday the banter with frustrated England players helped fuel his gutsy unbeaten fifty, which put West Indies in front in the decisive third Test.
The 23-year-old struck 54 in nearly 3-½ hours off 152 balls with four fours, blunting England’s attack after West Indies were in danger of collapse at 95 for six after lunch on the second day of the contest at the National Stadium here.
During the final play session, Da Silva was often seen having verbal exchanges with combative all-rounder Ben Stokes.
“I’m just batting balls. When I bat balls, runs will come in the end, so I’m not too fazed about how my strike rate looks,” the Trinidadian told reporters afterward.
“Stokesy and those guys got pretty upset with me, but I’m just batting, having fun, and at the end of the day. I’m putting runs on the board for the team, which is most important.
Josh Da Silva (middle) has an exchange with Ben Stokes as Kemar Roach looks on.
That fuels me. I love getting talk and all of that. It makes me want to go and make more runs. I love seeing them frustrated, but I love the word.
Da Silva’s knock steered West Indies to the close on 232 for eight, a lead of 28 runs, heading into Saturday’s third day.
He put on 33 for the seventh wicket with Kyle Mayers (28), 49 for the eighth wicket with Alzarri Joseph (28), and 55 in an unbroken ninth-wicket stand with Kemar Roach (25 not out).
“We need as much as we can get. If we get a hundred, 150 [runs lead], as long as we bat long, I’m sure runs will come, so we’re just trying our best to bat as long as possible,” Da Silva said.
“Roachie can bat; Alzarri can bat. I have all faith in Jayden (Seales), so when it comes tomorrow, we’re just trying to get as many runs on the board as possible and get a good lead.”
Again, the pitch produced variable bounce, with some balls staying low but others getting a generous lift and accounting for a few of the dismissals.
However, Da Silva said the pitch remained good for batting, with conditions becoming far more accessible once the ball got softer.
“It’s pretty flat. It’s very nice for batting, with the odd one staying a bit low. The new ball does a little bit, but it seems a pretty good wicket,” he said.
“I expect it to [deteriorate] definitely. Not many are staying low; the odd one is. So it’s still a perfect batting wicket, so we’re going to try and get as many as possible.
“It seems like a wicket to bowl straight [on]. We can look to get our slips involved with the new ball, but other than that, it looks like we can use the pitch.”
The half-century was Da Silva’s fourth in Tests but his first on Caribbean soil, which he said he was proud of.
“It is extraordinary. My home form hasn’t been perfect, so it’s good to raise my bat in front of the home crowd and get something done for the much-needed team.”
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