Alzarri Joseph and Shai Hope ruled out of West Indies Tests in Bangladesh
Joseph and Hope miss out as West Indies prepare for Bangladesh
West Indies will be without Alzarri Joseph and Shai Hope for their two-Test tour of Bangladesh. Fast bowler Joseph has been withdrawn with an eye on managing his workload, while white-ball captain Hope has been rested ahead of next year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier, scheduled for February 2027.
Joseph's workload under review
Joseph's absence follows a routine medical assessment and consultation with specialists. Cricket West Indies (CWI) has opted to manage the 29-year-old's workload, citing the greater physical demands of Test cricket and the risk of injury from bowling repeated high-intensity spells across consecutive matches. He will continue working with the team's medical staff and specialists as he prepares for a return to the longest format. His availability for shorter formats has not been ruled out.
All-rounder Keemo Paul has been brought into the 15-member squad in Joseph's place.
Hope rested after extended run
Hope has been rested after an extended run across all three formats. CWI is managing his workload ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Wickham gets his chance
The series will offer Kevin Wickham his first opportunity to break into the West Indies Test side. The 23-year-old earned his maiden call-up after an impressive domestic campaign in which he struck three consecutive centuries in the 2026 West Indies Championship, taking his first-class tally to six hundreds in 25 matches. John Campbell also returns to the group after recovering from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the home series against Pakistan.
Sammy targets top half of WTC table
West Indies are currently eighth in the World Test Championship standings. Head coach Daren Sammy said a strong result in their final WTC assignment of this cycle would help the side move closer to their target of finishing in the top half of the table.
"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.
Fixtures
The first Test is in Mirpur from October 28, followed by the second Test in Sylhet from November 5 to 9.
West Indies squad
Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), 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, Kevin Wickham.