A captain’s knock of 120 runs from Joshua Da Silva breathed new life into the Red Force innings on day two of their West Indies Championship round four fixture against West Indies Academy at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on March 6. Da Silva and fellow overnight batsman Khary Pierre (42) rescued TT’s fragile day one score of 129/6 at stumps, and carried them to a solid total of 304 all out, just after lunch on the second day. West Indies Academy, in reply, started positively but crumbled in the final session and finished the day’s play on 162/5, with two days still to go. When Da Silva and Pierre resumed their knock, the pair went on to build an innings-repairing partnership of 81 runs. The academy, though, continued to rely on their fast bowlers to dismantle the Red Force batting line-up. Da Silva showed early intent when he cut pacer Jediah Blades for four off the second delivery of the day. With seven painstaking runs coming from the next seven overs, the TT duo revived their attack by smashing fast bowler Nathan Edward for a boundary, each in the same over. Pierre executed a neat, front foot drive for four off pacer Johann Layne in the next over and half-volleyed Edward for another boundary in the following. Right-arm fast bowler Kelvin Pitman was not spared as Da Silva also cut him for four. With TT on 173/6, Pitman broke the partnership by having Pierre bowled while attempting a front foot drive. Da Silva took him to task a couple of overs later by smashing a boundary off the front foot and then cutting late for another in the same over. New batsman Anderson Phillip scored eight before Blades had him bowled, to carry TT to 201/8. Da Silva and number nine batsman Bryan Charles put on a late cameo with the bat as they combined for a well-played 61 runs. Da Silva swept pacer Joshua Bishop for a six then sliced him for four on the next ball. Later down in the innings, the TT skipper also pulled Layne for consecutive boundaries. Charles also got in on the action, striking Blades for back-to-back fours. Not long after achieving his eighth first class century, Da Silva lost control and played back into the hands of bowler Layne to depart caught and bowled on a stellar 120. At 262/9, Jayden Seales (29 not out) and Charles (23) put on an impressive 42-run last-wicket stance, which took Red Force just over the 300-run mark, before Seales was bowled by Pitman. Layne’s (5/56) pace reaped dividends over the past day and a half while academy teammates Blades (2/69) and Pitman (2/76) snagged two scalps each, and Edward (1/55) one. In their turn at the crease, academy openers Ackeem Auguste (49) and Justin Jagessar (seven) recorded a positive start. They put on 52 runs before Jagessar edged the ball into wicketkeeper Da Silva’s gloves off Anderson Phillip’s pace. Before he departed, Auguste gave fast bowler Joshua James a rude introduction in the eighth over, smashing him for four boundaries. James was quickly taken out the TT bowling attack after conceding 17 runs from his first six balls. Two overs later, Phillip made the breakthrough as Jagessar nicked one to Da Silva. Incoming batsman Mbeki Joseph’s (three) presence was short-lived as he played into the hands of Jangoo at short mid-wicket off the final ball from Charles’ first over. After 16 overs, the academy were 61/2. With ten runs added, Phillip made further inroads into their batting order as he had Auguste hit the ball high into the air, which fell into Seales’s hands, dismissing him one run short of 50. Fast bowler Jayden Seales struck soon after as he scattered Rivaldo Clarke’s stumps for nine runs. On 88/4 inside 27 overs, TT looked in total control. In the 30th over, 19-year-old Jordan Johnson tracked down the pitch to loft Pierre for a huge six. The very next ball, Pierre had him caught behind by Da Silva as they slumped to 103/5. West Indies Academy batted out the day closing on 162/5, trailing TT’s first innings score by 142 runs. Phillip (2/25) was Red Force’s best bowler on the day. Play resumes at 9.30 am on March 7. Summarised Scores TT RED FORCE 304 (89.4) — Joshua Da Silva 120, Khary Pierre 42, Jason Mohammed 32, Jayden Seales 29; Johann Layne 5/56, Jediah Blades 2/69, Kelvin Pitman 2/76 vs WEST INDIES ACADEMY – Ackeem Auguste 49, Joshua Bishop 39 not out, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 38 not out; Anderson Phillip 2/25 – WI Academy trail by 142 runs WINDWARD ISLANDS 480 (116.3) — Shadrack Descarte 119, Ryan John 109, Kenneth Dember 75 not out, Sunil Ambris 35; Oshane Thomas 4/66, Justin Greaves 3/102 vs LEEWARD ISLANDS 165/7 (44) – Mikyle Louis 82 not out, Jahmar Hamilton 40; Gilon Tyson 4/31, Ryan John 3/26 – Leewards trail by 315 runs CCC 262 (81.1) — Damel Evelyn 110, Kieran Powell 45; Roston Chase 5/70, Jomel Warrican 3/76 & 2/1 (3) vs BARBADOS PRIDE 428 (90.4) – Roston Chase 122, Kevin Wickham 95, Jason Holder 39, Kraigg Brathwaite 38, Jonathan Drakes 30; Kalvin Marcus 3/81, Akeem Jordan 2/74, Damion Joachim 2/81, Chemar Holder 2/97 – Barbados lead by 164 runs GUYANA 339 (109.2) — Kevlon Anderson 116, Matthew Nandu 61, Kemol Savory 48, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 32; Odean Smith 5/68, Marquino Mindley 2/36, Tamarie Redwood 2/109 & 46/1 (18) – Tagenarine Chanderpaul 22 not out vs JAMAICA SCORPIONS 44 (25.5) – Ronaldo Alimohamed 6/17, Nial Smith 4/21 – Guyana lead by 341 runsThe post Da Silva (120), pacers rescue Red Force on day two vs Windies Academy appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Source: https://newsday.co.tt/2025/03/07/da-sil ... s-academy/