A standout run of form in regional domestic cricket has earned 23-year-old Barbadian batsman Kevin Wickham a long-awaited call-up to the West Indies Test squad, ahead of the side’s upcoming two-Test tour of Bangladesh kicking off October 28 in Mirpur. This series marks West Indies’ final two fixtures in the ongoing 2025–2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle, carrying meaningful ranking implications for the regional side.
Wickham’s consistent performances this domestic season made his selection impossible to ignore. The young batsman notched three consecutive centuries in this year’s regional championship, with a personal best score of 153 in that stretch. He also entered the history books for Barbadian cricket, becoming just the third player from the island to record twin centuries in a single regional first-class match since 2000, joining established Test veterans Kraigg Brathwaite and Ryan Hinds in that exclusive group.
Wickham’s promotion is one of several key adjustments Cricket West Indies (CWI) has made to the Test squad, most driven by proactive workload management for key players. White-ball captain Shai Hope has been rested for the red-ball series, following a grueling stretch of matches across all three international formats. CWI made the call to limit Hope’s playing time ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier scheduled for February 2025, prioritizing keeping him fresh for the 50-over tournament.
Star fast bowler Alzarri Joseph is another notable absentee from the squad. Following a routine medical check-up and consultation with specialist clinicians, CWI announced Joseph had been withdrawn from the tour with his full agreement. The governing body explained the decision was designed to mitigate long-term injury risk, noting that the physical demands of red-ball cricket—particularly two consecutive Tests in Bangladesh, where fast bowlers must deliver repeated high-intensity bowling spells over multiple days—create a far greater workload and injury threat than shorter white-ball formats. Joseph remains eligible for selection in shorter-format fixtures in the coming months.
Filling Joseph’s place in the squad is all-rounder Keemo Paul, who gets a fresh opportunity to impress at the Test level. Meanwhile, opening batsman John Campbell makes his return to the Test squad after a hamstring injury forced him to withdraw from West Indies’ tour of Pakistan earlier in 2024. Beyond these two changes, the core of the squad remains unchanged from recent outings.
West Indies head coach Daren Sammy laid out the side’s clear objectives for the series, noting that finishing in the top half of the ICC World Test Championship rankings has been a core goal since the current cycle began. “Winning the upcoming series would move us closer to it. Playing Bangladesh in their own conditions will be challenging and we’re ready for that,” Sammy said. A series victory over Bangladesh would lift West Indies to sixth place in the ICC Test rankings at the end of the current cycle, a marked improvement from their eighth-place finish in the previous 2023–2025 cycle.
The full 16-man West Indies Test squad for the Bangladesh series is as follows: Roston Chase (Captain), Jomel Warrican (Vice-Captain), Joshua Bishop, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Kevin Wickham.