West Indies lose Joseph, Hope for Bangladesh Tests; Wickham called up

The West Indies have lost Alzarri Joseph and Shai Hope for the two-match Test series in Bangladesh. Joseph has been withdrawn to manage his workload, while Hope has been rested with the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers approaching.

Shamar Springer has been called in, and 23-year-old batter Kevin Wickham has received his first call-up. The series begins on Wednesday, 28 October, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

The squad changes

Keemo Paul had initially replaced Joseph but has returned home for personal and family reasons. Springer has been named as his replacement.

Bangladesh have their own changes. Litton Das is back after a hip injury, and Soumya Sarkar has been dropped. Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain the side throughout the series, with the board naming a 15-player squad.

What is at stake

The opening Test is part of the World Test Championship cycle. Bangladesh are fourth in the table with a PCT of 55.56 after six Tests. The West Indies are eighth on 20.83 and are out of the race.

Bangladesh last played a Test on 9 October, when their match against Afghanistan in the UAE ended in a draw. Before that, they lost to Australia by an innings and 51 runs on 22 August, a game that followed a nine-wicket win over Australia on 13 August.

The West Indies come off a white-ball tour of India. Their last completed match there, on 14 October, was a 24-run win. The final match of that series, on 17 October, ended without a result because of rain.

What’s next

Play starts at 9:00 AM IST on all five days of the first Test, and Fancode will stream the series for fans in India. The second Test is scheduled for Thursday, 5 November, also at 9:00 AM IST.