Trinidad and Tobago Red Force captain Joshua Da Silva is anticipating a strong showing from his team in the upcoming Cricket West Indies Championship, which bowls off on April 12.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday during a training session at the Queen’s Park Oval, Da Silva said the team is fine-tuning preparations ahead of the First-Class tournament, which will be contested under a new format this year.

The revised structure has faced criticism but has received full backing from Cricket West Indies executives. Under the format, Trinidad and Tobago will face the Leeward Islands in a three-match bilateral series, while Guyana take on the Windward Islands and Barbados battle Jamaica in similar three-match contests. The team with the most points advances directly to the final, while the second- and third-placed teams will meet in a playoff.

While Da Silva acknowledged concerns about the format, he remains focused on the ultimate goal—securing Trinidad and Tobago’s first First-Class title in two decades.

“It’s unfortunate that the cricket has been reduced, but it’s still first-class cricket and there’s still an opportunity for players to put their hands up for West Indies selection,” Da Silva said.

“We want to play as much cricket as possible, but at the end of the day, we have to go out and perform for our country,” added the out-of-favour West Indies wicketkeeper.

Despite the changes, Da Silva stressed that the team’s objective remains unchanged.

“There’s still a title to be won. There’s still cricket to be played. So it’s about going out there, sticking to our processes and doing what we need to do to bring the title back to Trinidad and Tobago.”

Last season, Trinidad and Tobago finished third behind champions Guyana and runners-up Barbados, despite strong individual performances from Jason Mohammed, who topped the run charts, and Khary Pierre, who led the wicket-taking.

Reflecting on that campaign, Da Silva admitted the team fell short of expectations.

“We came third. Unfortunately, we drew with Guyana in the last game, but one bad match against Jamaica at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy cost us the title,” he said.

He is determined to ensure those mistakes are not repeated this season.

“We have to avoid those lapses. We also lost two key players in that game—Jayden Seales and Anderson Phillip—to County Cricket. This year, we’ll have a full-strength squad throughout the tournament, so I’m expecting good things.”

Da Silva believes the team’s experience will be a major asset, particularly highlighting veteran batsman Jason Mohammed.

“He’s been around Trinidad cricket for nearly 20 years and is a true stalwart. He continues to perform, and we know the energy he brings to the dressing room.”

The captain also praised the return of explosive batsman Evin LewiS.

Lewis scored 655 runs this season for Bess Motors Marchin Patriots, including three consecutive centuries and an unbeaten 232 against Merryboys.

“Evin is coming back after about 10 years away from first-class cricket, but the attitude he’s shown has been very positive. Based on what he’s doing in club cricket, it’s exciting to have him back,” Da Silva said.

Da Silva, who is averaging 50.8 for Queen’s Park this season with one century and two half-centuries, also pointed to other key players expected to lift the team’s performance.

“We have Khary Pierre, who recently played Test cricket, along with Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip, and Bryan Charles, who brings plenty of experience. Then you have younger players like Cooper coming in, learning from them and contributing to our push for the title.”

Trinidad and Tobago will continue their preparations at the Queen’s Park Oval through Thursday as they build momentum for the tournament.