Cricket fans across the Caribbean have been dealt an exciting announcement Tuesday evening, as Cricket West Indies (CWI) unveiled its 15-member squad for the upcoming two-Test tour of Bangladesh, the final fixture of the 2025–2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle for the West Indies Men’s cricket team. The series kicks off on October 28 at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, with the second Test scheduled for November 5 through 9 at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Headlining the squad announcement is 23-year-old batter Kevin Wickham, who earns his first ever call-up to the senior Test side after a string of dominant domestic performances.
Wickham’s breakout run in the 2026 West Indies Championship, where he scored three consecutive centuries with a personal best knock of 153, earned him the middle-order spot in the touring group. Across 25 first-class matches to date, the young prospect has notched six centuries overall and holds a batting average above 40, cementing his case for promotion to the senior international set. He will join a side preparing to face a Bangladesh team that has built its strong home record on spin bowling, but has increasingly added pace bowling prowess to its match-winning strategy in recent years.
Several key changes to the squad come as CWI prioritizes player workload management and injury prevention ahead of major upcoming events. White-ball captain Shai Hope has been rested for the Test series after a grueling stretch of play across all three formats of the game. The decision comes as CWI looks to manage his fitness and wellness in the lead-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, scheduled for February 2027.
Star fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has also been withdrawn from the tour following a routine medical checkup and specialist consultation. In agreement with the player, CWI made the call to pull Joseph from the squad to avoid the heightened injury risk posed by the intense physical demands of Test cricket. Medical officials noted that two consecutive Test matches require fast bowlers to sustain repeated high-intensity bowling spells over multiple days, creating a far greater workload and injury risk than the shorter white-ball formats. While Joseph remains eligible for selection in limited-overs fixtures, he will continue working closely with CWI’s medical team and specialists to prepare for a full return to red-ball cricket. All-rounder Keemo Paul has been called up to replace Joseph in the Bangladesh squad.
Opener John Campbell has been cleared for selection after recovering from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of West Indies’ home series against Pakistan earlier this year. With Campbell’s return, the rest of the squad remains unchanged from the group that defeated Sri Lanka and drew with Pakistan over the 2026 northern summer. The touring group features three dedicated fast bowling options, two seam-bowling all-rounders, and two specialist spinners, giving captain Roston Chase the flexibility to deploy either attack-heavy or balanced bowling strategies depending on match conditions.
Head Coach Daren Sammy emphasized the series’ importance to West Indies’ World Test Championship goals in comments following the squad announcement. “At the start of this World Test Championship cycle we set ourselves goals, and one of them was to finish in the top half of the rankings. Winning this 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 see West Indies climb to 6th place in the ICC Men’s Test Team rankings by the end of the current cycle, a two-spot improvement from their 8th-place finish in the 2023–2025 cycle.
Preparation for the series is already underway: squad members not competing in the ongoing T20I series against India have begun training at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai under the supervision of assistant batting coach Floyd Reifer, including wicketkeeper-batter Amir Jangoo, who joined the group after the opening T20I in Lucknow. The full squad is set to arrive in Bangladesh on October 18, ahead of a three-day warm-up match in Dhaka running from October 22 to 24 to help players acclimate to local conditions.
The full 15-member West Indies Test squad for the Bangladesh series is: Captain Roston Chase, Vice-Captain Jomel Warrican, 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.