Mirpur: Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening Test against West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, in a match shaped before a ball was bowled by the late withdrawal of veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim.
Mushfiqur, the 106-Test veteran, was ruled out after sustaining a hand injury during training on Tuesday, when he was struck on his right index finger and left the session with the finger taped. X-rays revealed no serious damage and he had been considered available on Tuesday night, but he was ultimately left out of the playing XI. It is the second time injury has denied him a Test against West Indies — he also missed Bangladesh’s last Test against them in the Caribbean in late 2024 through injury.
Towhid Hridoy, who made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in June, replaces Mushfiqur in the middle order. Bangladesh made one further change from the side that played their most recent Test against Afghanistan, with Shoriful Islam coming in for Ebadot Hossain. Wicketkeeper-batter Liton Das returns to the XI after recovering from the hip injury he sustained during the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, an injury that had forced him to miss the subsequent ODI tri-series.
The hosts have gone in with three specialist spinners — Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan — alongside two fast bowlers, Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam, a balance that underlines how much turn they expect from the Mirpur surface as the match wears on.
West Indies, meanwhile, handed a Test debut to 26-year-old left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop, leaving out veteran fast bowler Kemar Roach. Bishop joins Jomel Warrican and captain Roston Chase as the spin options, with Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph leading the pace attack and Justin Greaves providing all-round cover. Amir Jangoo keeps wicket, while Shai Hope, who played West Indies’ last Test in August, has skipped the tour.
The two-match series is part of the World Test Championship, and it carries high stakes for Bangladesh. This is the first of their remaining six Tests in their bid to reach the WTC final for the first time — a run in which they need four wins and at least one draw to keep that dream alive. Batting first on a Mirpur pitch expected to deteriorate, Shanto’s side will know that a big first-innings total is the surest way to start that run on the front foot.
Bangladesh XI: Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Towhid Hridoy, Liton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam.
West Indies XI: John Campbell, Brandon King, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kavem Hodge, Amir Jangoo (wk), Roston Chase (capt), Justin Greaves, Joshua Bishop, Shamar Joseph, Jomel Warrican, Jayden Seales.
