Allrounder Shamar Springer has earned his maiden Test call-up, being named as a replacement in the West Indies squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh. Springer steps into the touring party in place of fellow seam-bowling allrounder Keemo Paul, who has been forced to withdraw from the trip due to pressing personal and family reasons, according to an official statement released by Cricket West Indies (CWI).
The 28-year-old Springer is now in line to potentially make his long-awaited Test debut for the senior men’s national team. While he has already accumulated international experience representing the West Indies across three One Day Internationals and twelve Twenty20 Internationals, the red-ball format has remained the next frontier in his international career. Over the course of his domestic career, Springer has established a solid foundation in first-class cricket, accumulating 1,043 runs across 23 appearances at a respectable batting average of 32.59. With the ball, he has claimed 58 wickets at an average of 27.87, showcasing his utility as a genuine all-round option in the longer version of the game.
Springer’s selection also comes on the back of encouraging domestic form. He enjoyed a productive and influential campaign with the bat for Barbados during the 2026 edition of the West Indies Championship. Across four matches in that tournament, he contributed 251 runs at an impressive average of 50.20. Although wickets proved somewhat harder to secure during that specific tournament—where he picked up seven scalps in eight innings at an average of 42.00—his overall domestic pedigree and recent form kept him firmly on the selectors’ radar.
According to the CWI statement, selectors did evaluate alternative candidates to fill the void left by Paul’s departure. Other seam-bowling options, notably Ojay Shields and Nial Smith, were considered by the selection panel. However, both players were ultimately ruled out of contention for the Bangladesh tour due to existing injuries, clearing the path for Springer to travel with the squad.
The late adjustment further alters a West Indies touring party that is already missing several key personnel for the assignment in Bangladesh. In addition to the absence of Keemo Paul, the visitors will be without their in-form white-ball captain Shai Hope, who has been granted a rest from the tour to manage his workload and recovery. Furthermore, express fast bowler Alzarri Joseph was previously withdrawn from the original selection plans for workload-management reasons. Notably, Paul had initially been called into the squad as a replacement for Joseph before his own personal circumstances necessitated his withdrawal.
Springer and Paul both arrived at this juncture following their involvement in the West Indies’ recent white-ball tour of India. That exhaustive limited-overs assignment concluded in Bengaluru, where the final match of the five-match T20I series ended in a washout due to inclement weather on Saturday. Over the course of that series of fixtures in India, the West Indies experienced a mixed run of fortunes, ultimately losing the three-match ODI series by a 2-1 margin before rebounding to draw the hard-fought five-match T20I series 2-2.
With the white-ball commitments in India now concluded, the newly configured West Indies Test squad will transition focus to the subcontinent conditions awaiting them in Bangladesh. The touring party is scheduled to arrive ahead of an intensive itinerary, which commences with a three-day practice match in Dhaka running from October 22 to October 24. This warm-up fixture will provide the players with vital acclimatization time ahead of the main series encounters.
The competitive action of the Test tour will then officially get underway at the end of the month. The first Test match is scheduled to be hosted in Mirpur, running from October 28 to November 1. Following the conclusion of the opening fixture, the teams will travel to Sylhet, where the second and final Test match of the series will take place from November 5 to November 9.
Updated West Indies squad for Test series vs Bangladesh: Roston Chase (captain), Jomel Warrican (vice-captain), Joshua Bishop, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva (wicketkeeper), Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Amir Jangoo (wicketkeeper), Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Shamar Springer, and Kevin Wickham.
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