Kevin Wickham earns a maiden Test call-up as West Indies rest Shai Hope for Bangladesh

Kevin Wickham has been handed a maiden Test call-up in a 15-man West Indies squad for the two Tests in Bangladesh, with Shai Hope rested and Alzarri Joseph withdrawn on medical advice

Cricket West Indies named the party on Tuesday for a series that closes out its 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle, with Roston Chase continuing as captain and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican as his deputy.

The first Test starts at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on October 28 and the second begins in Sylhet on November 5. The squad flies out on October 18 and plays a three-day warm-up match in Dhaka from October 22.

Two senior names are absent. Hope, the white-ball captain, has been rested after an extended run across all three formats, while the fast bowler Alzarri Joseph was withdrawn following a routine medical assessment, with all-rounder Keemo Paul called up in his place.

Three hundreds earn Wickham his chance

Wickham, 23, arrives on the back of the 2026 West Indies Championship, where he made three consecutive centuries with a best of 153.

Those runs took him to six first-class hundreds from 25 matches at an average above 40, and he is in line to come into the middle order.

He is the only uncapped player in the group, the rest of which is unchanged from the squad that beat Sri Lanka and drew with Pakistan earlier in the year.

Hope rested with a Qualifier in view

Hope is in India at present, leading the T20I side in Wednesday's fourth match of the series in Hyderabad, and has carried the white-ball captaincy through a crowded calendar.

Cricket West Indies said it is managing his workload and wellness ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in February.

Joseph withdrawn on medical advice

Joseph's withdrawal followed a routine medical assessment and a specialist consultation, and was taken with the bowler's agreement.

The board said its medical team judged that two consecutive Tests in Bangladesh, which ask fast bowlers to sustain repeated high-intensity spells over long periods, carry a significantly greater workload and injury risk than white-ball cricket.

He has not been ruled out of the shorter formats and will continue working with the medical team towards a full return to red-ball cricket.

Campbell fit again as the attack takes shape

Opener John Campbell has shown his return to fitness after the hamstring injury that kept him out of the Pakistan series in the Caribbean.

With Paul in for Joseph, the squad carries three genuine pace options in Shamar Joseph, Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales, two seam-bowling all-rounders and two specialist spinners, with Chase's own off-spin a further choice.

That balance is pitched at a Bangladesh side that has traditionally won at home through spin but has increasingly done so with pace.

Preparations split between Chennai and Dhaka

Squad members not involved in the T20I series in India have been training at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai under assistant coach Floyd Reifer, with Amir Jangoo joining them after the first T20I in Lucknow.

Head coach Daren Sammy framed the trip as part of a longer plan. "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," he said. "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 added.

A series win would put West Indies in line to climb to sixth in the ICC Test rankings at the close of the cycle, having finished the previous one ranked eighth.

Squad: 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, Kevin Wickham.

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