White-ball star Shai Hope has been included in the West Indies squad for their upcoming three-match Test series at home against Australia. Shai Hope is in line for his first Test appearance since December 2021, batter John Campbell is also included, while Brandon King and Kevlon Anderson have received maiden call-ups for the series that commences in Barbados on 25 June
Shai Hope has been recalled to the West Indies Test side, being named in the 16-man squad for a three-match series against Australia on Tuesday. The white-ball captain has been rewarded for his strong form in limited-overs cricket and could play his first Test since 2021 when the opening game begins on June 25 in Bridgetown.
“Like a breath of fresh air” is how Shai Hope describes to Cricbuzz the West Indian Test dressing room that he’s returned to for the first time in three-and-a-half years. The stylish Bajan right-hander last donned the whites in December 2021 in Galle. Only three members apart from himself still remain in the current Test squad. Three Bajans, the ageless Kraigg Brathwaite, new captain Roston Chase and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican.
Shai Hope’s test career – A glimpse
It was the classy batter Shai Hope’s 38th Test and would be his last for a while as he took a break from the format, having also lost his place in the team once before. It was mainly to focus his energies on other formats, which he has done with great success. Shai Hope remains one of the foremost ODI batters of this generation while also transforming himself into a highly-billed T20 batter, which has even led to him now taking over as West Indies captain in the shortest international format.
When Shai Hope scored hundreds in each innings in a famous win at Headingley nearly eight years ago, it looked like the West Indies had found themselves the next superstar to build their future around. That’s when his average peaked at 35 only to go southwards quickly, and end up in the mid-20s by the time he played last against Sri Lanka.
Shai Hope announced himself to the world with twin centuries against England, at Headingley, in 2017 to help West Indies to victory and followed that with 62 at Lord’s in the final match of the series. Shai Hope’s next outing against Zimbabwe brought 90, amid a golden two-month period, but only two more half-centuries followed over a four-year stretch until he was left out after playing Sri Lanka in 2021. Since that series, he has played just four first-class matches – two for Barbados and two for Sussex.
And now he comes back into the mix to bat at No 6 and keep wickets for the first time in Test cricket. Ask him about the glory of Leeds, and he shuts it down, insisting that he doesn’t want to talk about the past. Shai Hope has made 1,726 runs in 38 Tests, with two hundreds and five fifties.
To say that bringing Shai Hope back into the Test mix is based more on potential than performance would be an understatement. He’s after all played only four first-class games since his last Test, between late 2021 to the middle of 2025, two of those coming for Yorkshire in the County Championship in 2023, where he made two half-century scores.
Shai Hope’s last one for Barbados coming earlier this year in March where he did keep wickets as well, returning scores of 16 and 20. Ahead of his test return , Shai Hope is confident that he will leave an impact with his performances in the upcoming 3 match series vs Australia
Shai Hope believes to leave an impact on his return to WI test side vs Australia
Returning to Test cricket was not an overwhelming motivation for Shai Hope, but now that he’s back for the first time since 2021, he’s ready to commit to a fresh era under new captain Roston Chase.
Shai Hope, who leads West Indies in both white-ball formats, had been approached to be interviewed for the role of Test captain after Kraigg Brathwaite stepped down. But he declined to be included in the process, in part, he said, due to the workload of being a three-format player, which was also in the conversations with head coach Daren Sammy about a return to the Test side.
To add to the scrutiny of his recall, Shai Hope has been handed the wicketkeeping gloves for the opening match against Australia in Barbados, just the third time in Tests he’s started as the designated keeper, although he’s a regular in the role in limited-overs cricket.
“Representing West Indies, they always give me a lot of joy and pride,” Shai Hope told ESPNcricinfo in Barbados.
“I think that was the main focus, just being able to represent the region and bring my impact on the game and obviously the transfer of that inspiration back into the next generation.
“I’m happy to be back. It’s not something I would say I was looking forward to in terms of, ‘I have to play Test cricket again’. But if the opportunity came, I would always be willing to take it.
“I believe if I’m doing something, I’m committed to it,” he added
“So if I decided to come back and play Test cricket, my main focus would be to give it my all. If success is there or not, the decision to leave me in or include me, that’s up to the decision makers. But, yes, as long as I’m being committed to the task at hand, I think I’m going to give my all.”
Shai Hope was wicketkeeper in his most recent red-ball outing, against Trinidad and Tobago in March, where he reportedly struggled with the gloves, but Chase backed him to put in the hard work needed to do the role at Test level. The first of the three Tests will start on June 25 in Barbados. The second Test will be played in St George’s and the third in Kingston. The series is part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.
Also Read: WI vs AUS: “Captaining The West Indies Is A Great Job”- Roston Chase Ready To Embrace Leadership