West Indies v England: Joshua da Silva's rapid rise from Surrey league cricket to Tests

Joshua da Silva had a different definition of friendly.

Da Silva was a member of the Old Wimbledonians Cricket Club in south-west London.

He averaged 64 in Division Three of the Surrey Championship, which is good for a future Test cricketer.

Da Silva wreaked havoc in the Sunday friendly scene.

He scored 553 runs in nine matches, with three centuries and two 50s.

He gambled on himself in the fantasy cricket league and it paid off.

Da Silva said he never wanted to play those games in the beginning.

Everyone said you can pick yourself in the fantasy league.

It was a 100 point deduction for picking yourself, but if you score a 100 it is worth it.

In one game the guys said I could retire after 50 but I said I would get a 100 and then it was over.

• England in West Indies 2022

Many recreational cricketers gained the anecdote of a lifetime at the expense of a ruined Sunday afternoon.

Three years later, Da Silva graced England's cricket pitches again, only this time in West Indies whites.

When Da Silva returned to the Caribbean from London without a professional deal, it was a rapid rise.

He said that he scored a lot of runs in the club season in January after his stint in England.

I got my first contract with Trinidad from that club season.

I made my first-class debut in December of last year and made a lot of runs in the following season, so I got the call to go to England during the Covid epidemic.

Da Silva came on as a substitute keeper in the third Test against England at Old Trafford in July 2020 after both of the original keepers were injured.

Da Silva scored a century in a warm-up game before his first Test cap against New Zealand in Wellington in December 2020.

Da Silva said it happened a lot faster than he expected.

Johnno Gordon was his captain at Old Wimbledonians.

He was incredibly talented and we knew he was working very hard, but we weren't sure if he would make that level.

There were a lot of tears from the guys when he took the field.

He did a stupid little celebration after taking a catch. We are incredibly proud of him.

Da Silva scored 57 on his debut against a full-strength New Zealand attack.

He is set to start the first Test against England in Antigua on Tuesday and has been in the side ever since.

He said that he was so excited to make his debut in New Zealand that he never thought he would be facing Tim Southee.

In two years, Da Silva went from making his professional debut to scoring a half-century against one of the best seam attacks in the world.

Will a maiden Test ton come against England?