West Indies, Sri Lanka resume Test duties after months off

West Indies: Lost 7 of 8 Tests in current World Test Championship cycle, sit bottom of 9-team WTC table. Last played Tests vs Pakistan in August 2025, won 1, lost 1 Sri Lanka: First series in new WTC cycle. Finished 7th in 2019-2021 WTC. Haven’t won a series since July 2018 Recent lead-in: Rain-ruined ODI series + hard-fought T20 series, now back to Tests.

This is the lay of Test cricket in 2026. It doesn't matter that West Indies produced very arguably the greatest Test team in the history of the sport in the 1980s. It doesn't matter that Sri Lanka produced Test cricket's most prolific wicket-taker, in Muttiah Muralitharan. It mainly matters that both have tiny cricket economies in comparison to most other sides, and as such, they have each been shunted deep into Test cricket second-classhood - for this cycle at least.

But here is a chance to prove they deserve more matches in this format. Sri Lanka have been a mid-table team in the three WTC cycles so far; they ended seventh, fifth and sixth, respectively. West Indies, meanwhile, have generally been a lower-table team; they finished eighth each of the three times. Both sides will see this as an opportunity to push for more matches.

West Indies: Head coach Daren Sammy says “Every Test series is an opportunity… to grow as a team and strengthen our identity”. “Credentials are on the line” after dreadful Test run. Sri Lanka: 3rd in WTC behind Australia & South Africa, but position “somewhat misleading” – only from 1-0 win over Bangladesh 12 months ago. Need wins to stay in contention for 2026 Lord’s final.

But there is no serious measure through which form can be judged. Rust will need to be shaken off. Red-ball skills will need to be revived for many players. And while Sri Lanka are on the WTC points table with a draw and a victory against Bangladesh in June last year, West Indies are still looking for their first win this cycle, having logged seven losses and a draw so far.

Dhananjaya de Silva is among the players who has clamoured most for more Test cricket for his side, and as he is largely only picked in Sri Lanka's Test XI now, he hasn't had an especially busy international schedule over the past year. Since Sri Lanka achieved Test status, there has perhaps never been a Test captain whose job has felt so minor in the larger landscape of Sri Lanka's cricket.

Behind Roach are more all-time greats: Joel Garner and Michael Holding. Roach's journey has been a triumph of longevity - he has never played more than eight Tests in a calendar year. And he has not had the kind of fast-bowling support that the great names around him had had. But Roach has generally been good against Sri Lanka, and West Indies would love to have this milestone to celebrate some time during this series.

The weather forecast for North Sound is good for the next few days. Temperatures are also forecast to stay a shade under 30 degrees Celsius, which both teams will find relatively comfortable. There has been no Test cricket at this venue since November 2024, so it's difficult to predict how the track will play, but it has generally favoured seamers.