Test Cricket returns to Bangladesh shores after quite a while as hosts Bangladesh are set to square off against the visitors, the West Indies, in a short but important 2-match Test series. The first Test match of the series is set to kick off on Wednesday, 28th October, 2026, from Bangladesh‘s capital, as the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, is set to host this all-important series opener. The match is set to commence at 9:30 AM IST.
This is a huge series for Bangladesh as they are ranked 4th in the WTC standings ahead of India and have a chance to fight for a place in the top 2. While for the West Indies, well, it’s all but over as far as WTC is concerned, as they are placed in 8th place and are playing for pride to end on a high. So, all eyes will be on Bangladesh to see whether they can keep the pressure on the top 3 teams, namely Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead Bangladesh while Roston Chase will lead West Indies.
The stage is set for an intriguing 2-match Test series between the two teams.
Overview
The stage is set for another Test series to get underway in the WTC 2025-27 as the hosts Bangladesh faces off against West Indies in the first Test from the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. The first Test gets underway on Wednesday, 28th October, 2026, from 9:30 AM IST onwards. All eyes will be on Bangladesh as they are still in contention for a place in the summit clash as they occupy the 4th spot ahead of India and behind the top 3 teams in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
For the West Indies, their campaign is done and dusted. They are in 8th place and are out of contention but will fight to play for pride in this series and end their campaign on a high. Bangladesh in their last Test series, travelled to Australia in August and drew the 2-match Test series 1-1 after winning in Darwin through Hasan Mahmud’s heroics and collective batting. Australia came back and won the next Test match, but that match also saw Shoriful Islam take 6 wickets.
Bangladesh would be happy to get a drawn series in Australia, but their percentage points of 55.56% is still about 11% behind 3rd-placed South Africa and a lot behind second-placed New Zealand. So, the Tigers have to play catch-up and if they want to keep their WTC final hopes alive, they must win the 2-match series 2-0. A draw or a loss even in one game could be catastrophic for them.
Bangladesh will be led by their talisman captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Litton Das, the keeper-batter, is back in the side after the injury forced him to miss the ODI tri-series lately. Experienced campaigner Mushfiqur Rahim will bolster the middle order. The batting consists of Jaker Ali, Towhid Hridoy, Shadman Islam, and Tanzid Hasan at the top of the order. Mominul Haque is set to occupy the Number 3 slot. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nayeem Hasan are all-rounders in the side. Taijul Islam will be a handy left-arm spinner in these conditions.
The pace battery for the hosts will be led by Taskin Ahmed alongside the in-form Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain and left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam. The squad for the first Test match looks balanced and has all the bases covered. Playing at home, they will start as favourites for sure against the mighty West Indies.
West Indies, on the other hand, will be led by Roston Chase. The Men in Maroon are languishing in 8th position in a 9-team WTC tournament with a percentage of 20.83%. They are ahead of only Pakistan, who are in 9th place with 4.63%. West Indies have had a difficult run in Test cricket. Lately, they drew the home series against Pakistan 1-1. They defeated Sri Lanka at home 1-0 in a 2-match series. They lost to Australia last year 3-0 at home. They lost to India away 0-2 and New Zealand away 0-2, with one match drawn. So, this is West Indies’ last series in this cycle.
Led by Roston Chase, West Indies will not have the services of Shai Hope, who has apparently been rested for this series. The team consists of Brandon King, Joshua Da Silva, who can keep wickets as well, alongside Kevin Wickham and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who may well open the batting. Amir Jangoo was in terrific form in the ODI series against India and may well don the gloves here. John Campbell is also in terrific form. The team also has Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves in their ranks. Greaves injured himself after the first game against India.
Shamar Springer is a handy all-rounder to have. Jomel Warrican is the specialist spinner and may get a look-in in this series as spin will play a role in Mirpur. Joshua Bishop can be a handy spinner as well. There is no Alzarri Joseph in this squad, but the team has excellent pacers in Shamar Joseph, experienced campaigner Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales. The team is decent and may well put up a fight, but West Indies knows in these conditions, they are the underdogs.
The stage is set for an interesting tussle between the two teams in this 2-match Test series commencing on Wednesday.
Head-To-Head.Â
Bangladesh and West Indies have played against each other in 22 Test matches. Out of these, West Indies have won 15 games while Bangladesh have won 5 games. 2 games have been drawn as well. In Bangladesh, it’s 8-2 in West Indies’ favour. In the last 10 matches, it is 7-3 in West Indies’ favour, with Bangladesh winning the last match in West Indies in November-December 2024 by 101 runs. In the last 5 matches, it’s 4-1 to the West Indies. Overall history favours the visitors. Conditions may favour the hosts.
Pitch & Weather Report.Â
The Mirpur pitch traditionally starts out decent for batting on the first day and a half. As the match progresses, the surface begins to break up, cracks open, and the ball starts to grip and turn sharply. It is renowned as one of the most spin-friendly grounds in world cricket, though overhead conditions and humidity can offer some movement for pacers in the first session. The first innings average score is 328, while the second innings average score is 309. Winning the toss and batting first to post a large total is usually the preferred choice, as chasing in the fourth innings is difficult.
As far as the weather is concerned, the daytime temperatures will hover around 27-31 degrees Celsius. High humidity levels of around 65% to 74% are expected across the match days, making it warm and muggy. Conditions are expected to be partly cloudy to partly sunny with a very low around 0-9% chance of rain, promising full days of play. Morning dew is expected to be minimal.
Predicted/Probable Playing XIs of both sides.Â
Here, we will try to predict the playing XIs of both sides.
Bangladesh XI: Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud.
West Indies XI: John Campbell, Brandon King, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kavem Hodge, Amir Jangoo, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Justin Greaves, Roston Chase (c), Joshua Bishop, Jomel Warrican, Shamar Joseph.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
Mominul Haque: One of the key players for Bangladesh and with most Test hundreds as well from the country, Mominul Haque is a quality player. He bats at an important position at Number 3. Bangladesh will be hoping he gets off to a start and builds his innings up. We know his talent and quality and he has been in decent form of late. Mominul will be hoping he gets a good start and converts it into a big one.
Hasan Mahmud: Hasan Mahmud has been in red-hot form in the Test matches so far. He will look to continue his good work from Australia. If he can get his line and length right, he can be a handful on this pitch. Yes, the pitch may suit spinners in the end, but there will be initial help for the seam bowlers. Mahmud can cash on his line and length and trouble the West Indies top order.
John Campbell: John Campbell has been in a rich vein of form lately. He was in terrific touch in the ODIs against India and the last time West Indies played a match on the sub-continent, Campbell scored a defiant ton against India in New Delhi last year. Now, coming to these conditions and with Hope not playing, the onus will be on Campbell to get a start, dig in and capitalise to get a significant score under his belt. If he does that, West Indies will have hope.
Jomel Warrican: Jomel Warrican has been in and out of the side for a long period of time. But in these conditions favouring spin, Warrican is likely to get a game and could be the key bowler for the West Indies if the pitch deteriorates. If Warrican can get his lines and lengths right and sorted, he will be a handful bowler for Bangladesh. He will need help from the pitch and must bowl well, but he will be a kingmaker in this match for sure.
Key Stats and Records to watch out for in this clash
- Teams batting first have won 42.9% of the matches in Mirpur, Dhaka.
- Najmul Hossain Shanto averages 53.88 in his last 10 matches, while Mushfiqur Rahim averages 56.38 in the last 10 matches.
- Justin Greaves averages 45.63 in his last 10 games, while John Campbell averages 34.29 in his last 8 games.
- Taijul Islam has picked up 45 wickets in the last 10 matches, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz has picked up 24 wickets in the last 8 matches.
- Jayden Seales picked up 25 wickets in 10 matches, while Shamar Joseph picked up 21 wickets in the last 5 matches.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
It’s the start of a new series, and anything can happen in a game of cricket. So, it is tough to predict a winner at the start of the match. Having said that, recent form and conditions should suit Bangladesh. Notwithstanding West Indies’ superior record against Bangladesh overall, we feel that, based on the conditions and composition of the side, Bangladesh at home will start this series as favourites. But West Indies cannot be counted out and taken lightly at all.
A fascinating Test series and match awaits us with crucial WTC points at stake for the hosts. Let’s see which team at the end of the Test match stands tall and draws first blood in this 2-match series. Advantage Bangladesh, but West Indies cannot be counted out at all.
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