Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph return to West Indies Test squad

Fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph return to West Indies' squad for the upcoming two-Test home series against Sri Lanka, with keeper-bats Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo also earning recalls.

Both Alzarri and Shamar missed West Indies' Test assignments in India and New Zealand at the end of last year because of injury setbacks.

Their inclusion strengthens a pace attack that also includes Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales and made their last appearances in the format during Australia's tour of the Caribbean in 2025. After a successful domestic campaign, West Indies have also brought back Da Silva, who will once again serve as wicketkeeper.

The 27-year-old amassed 413 runs in seven innings during the recent West Indies Championship, finishing as the competition's leading run-scorer. His return comes at the expense of Tevin Imlach, who kept wicket in New Zealand last December but managed only 81 runs in six innings during that series. Imlach has instead been named captain of the West Indies Select XI for the four-day warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka in Coolidge from June 18 to 21.

Jangoo returns to the Test set-up after making his lone appearance in Multan against Pakistan in January 2025. The left-hander enjoyed a prolific domestic campaign, scoring 411 runs in seven innings to finish second on the Championship run charts behind Da Silva.

"Every Test series is an opportunity for us to grow as a team and strengthen our identity," Daren Sammy, the head coach, said in a Cricket West Indies statement. "Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we'll have to be at our best, but we're excited about the challenge ahead.

"For us, it's about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. We're looking forward to putting on a strong show for our fans across the Caribbean, and the players have been working hard." A high-performance camp in Antigua, which began on June 12 and runs through June 22, currently involves a number of team members. Players who were part of the recently concluded white-ball series against Sri Lanka joined the programme on June 15.

According to Sammy's description of the camp, "this is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent."

"It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan. Additionally, the four-day warm-up game prior to the series provides the chance for some of our test hopefuls to play in high intensity action and create the avenue for more competition within the squad ahead of the upcoming and future series."

The series is part of the World Test Championship cycle. The West Indies are currently in ninth place, having lost seven of their first eight matches. The first Test will be played in North Sound from June 25 to 29, with the second scheduled at the same venue from July 3 to 7.

Squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vice-capt), John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.