WINDIES NOD: Wickham earns maiden Test call-up for Bangladesh series

Barbadian batsman Kevin Wickham has turned a prolific run in the regional championship into a West Indies Test call-up, earning selection for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh, which begins on October 28 in Mirpur, Bangladesh.

The series will see West Indies compete in their final two games of the  2025–2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle.

During this year’s regional championship, the 23-year-old stroked three consecutive centuries with a best of 153. He also became the third Barbadian since the turn of the century to score twin hundreds in a regional match, joining Kraigg Brathwaite and Ryan Hinds.

Cricket West Indies has opted to rest white-ball captain Shai Hope following his extended run of games across all three formats. Ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier scheduled for February next year, CWI is managing Hope’s workload.

Another notable absentee will be fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who, according to the Cricket West Indies release, “has been withdrawn from the series following a routine medical assessment and specialist consultation.”

According to the release, “With Joseph’s agreement, Cricket West Indies has taken the decision to manage his workload, seeking to avert the risk of injury associated with the increased physical demands of red-ball cricket. 

“While he is not ruled out from shorter formats, the medical team has stated that the demands of two consecutive Test matches in Bangladesh, which require fast bowlers to sustain repeated high-intensity spells over extended periods, present a significantly greater workload and injury risk than the shorter white-ball formats.”

In his absence, all-rounder Keemo Paul has been called up as Joseph’s replacement for the series. 

Opener John Campbell returns to the squad following the hamstring injury that saw him miss the tour of Pakistan earlier this year, but the squad is otherwise unchanged.

According to head coach Daren Sammy, at the start of the World Test Championship cycle, one of West Indies’ goals was to finish in the top half of the rankings.

“Winning the upcoming series would move us closer to it. Playing Bangladesh in their own conditions will be challenging and we’re ready for that.”

A series win over Bangladesh would lift West Indies to sixth in the ICC Test rankings at the conclusion of the current cycle. The regional side finished eighth during the previous cycle.

West Indies Test Squad vs Bangladesh

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 and Kevin Wickham.

(KH)