Shimron Hetmyer has recovered from the illness that kept him out of West Indies’ last Test against Sri Lanka to return to the squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh.
Left-handed batsman Hetmyer was not picked in the XI for the first two Tests of the series against Sri Lanka, before being taken ill ahead of the third Test. Keemo Paul, the right-arm fast bowler who had replaced Hetmyer in the squad, keeps his place in the squad.
There was only one change, with the uncapped reserve wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton left out.
West Indies drew the series against Sri Lanka 1-1. They won the first Test by 226 runs, while a somewhat rain-affected second Test was drawn, but Sri Lanka came back well in the final match for a four-wicket win.
While commending the team for the performance against Sri Lanka, the West Indies selection panel said they wanted more runs from the top-order. The selection panel “expects to see a greater effort from the top 5 batters and see them return to the focus and discipline we know they are capable of in the upcoming series against Bangladesh… We congratulate the team on a drawn series [against Sri Lanka] but recognise that victory was within our reach. The selection panel also acknowledge and commend the strong performances of captain Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel and man of the series Shane Dowrich.”
This series is also an opportunity for West Indies to go past Bangladesh in the Test rankings. Bangladesh are currently in eighth position with 75 points, with West Indies ninth on 72 points. A win for the home side will see them overtake Bangladesh, while a drawn series will maintain the status quo. Bangladesh will remain in the eighth spot even if they win 2-0, though they will narrow the gap with seventh-ranked Pakistan.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo