‘That’s their biggest fixture of their calendar’ – Joshua Da Silva on England’s Ashes focus over ongoing series

Joshua da Silva (Source:Twitter)

West Indies wicketkeeper-batter Joshua Da Silva remains calm by England’s early preparations for the 2025-26 Ashes series, seeing it as a potential opportunity for his team to bounce back in the ongoing Test series.

Despite a crushing defeat in the first Test at Lord’s, Da Silva’s optimism shines through as the Caribbean side looks to regroup for the second Test at Trent Bridge. England’s dominant innings and 114-run victory at Lord’s has given them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The retirement of James Anderson and the impressive debuts of Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith marked the beginning of a new era for English cricket, with an eye firmly on future Ashes success. Da Silva showed maturity beyond his 27 caps and understands England’s long-term planning.

“That’s their biggest fixture of their calendar. So if they’re looking forward, they’re looking to groom some players to make sure they have their team ready for them. I don’t think it’s wrong of them at all,” Da Silva was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

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If they take us for granted we might get a win: Joshua Da Silva

The wicketkeeper-batter even sees a silver lining in England’s forward-thinking approach. The batter still feels the visitors have a good chance of winning in the upcoming matches. The team engaged in honest discussions after the disappointing performance at Lord’s, where West Indies were bowled out for 121 and 136. Joshua Da Silva acknowledged the batting shortcomings.

“Nah, it doesn’t hurt us. I don’t study it especially. We still have to play the cricket. If they take us for granted we might get a win, or might win the series. For me, I take that as a favour,” he continued.

“Obviously in the batting a few of us didn’t stick our hands up. We had a few soft dismissals. We are pretty disappointed after the first Test. We have put that behind us, we’ve had our discussions, and we are looking forward to the second Test. We are doing everything we can, rebuilding, and going hard forward into the next Test,” the 26-year-old further added.

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Besides, Joshua Da Silva also touched on his personal growth and role within the team. Despite being one of the more experienced players, he maintains a humble approach. He especially mentioned the likes of Holder, skipper Brathwaite and pacer Joseph, whom he often looks up to grasp the nuances of the game.

“I like to think that I’ve played enough, have a bit of experience. I don’t know everything and am far from knowing everything about Test cricket so I’m still learning from Kraigg, Jason, and Alzarri especially. I hope to see that some of the boys can ask me some questions and just look up to the games that I’ve played,” Da Silva concluded.