West Indies Rest Shai Hope and Manage Alzarri Joseph's Workload Ahead of Bangladesh Tests

The Absentees: White-ball captain Shai Hope and premier fast bowler Alzarri Joseph will miss the upcoming two-Test tour of Bangladesh.

Reasons for Absence:

Shai Hope has been rested following an extended, heavy workload across all three formats. Alzarri Joseph has been withdrawn following routine medical assessments and specialist consultations, with CWI opting to proactively manage his workload and mitigate injury risks in red-ball cricket.

The two-Test series will be West Indies' last assignment for the ongoing 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. They currently sit eighth on the points 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," head coach Daren Sammy 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."

The first Bangladesh vs West Indies Test starts on October 28 in Dhaka and the second from November 5 in Sylhet.

West Indies squad for Bangladesh Tests

Roston Chase (capt), Jomel Warrican (vice-capt), Joshua Bishop, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Amir Jangoo (wk), Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Kevin Wickham

Squad Changes & Replacements:

All-rounder Keemo Paul has been called up to the squad.

Middle-order batter Kevin Wickham has earned his maiden Test call-up. Opener John Campbell returns to the red-ball setup after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Series Schedule: The series is captained by Roston Chase and runs from late October to November 2026, with the first Test starting on October 28 in Mirpur and the second in Sylhet on November 5.