West Indies secured an eight-wicket victory in the opening Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, with the match concluding on November 1 after beginning on October 28. The win gave the touring side a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Roston Chase captains the West Indies squad as they pursue their first series victory in the current World Test Championship cycle. The second Test is scheduled for Sylhet from November 5 to 9, 2026.
Daren Sammy, the West Indies coach, assessed his team’s performance between the two Tests. He highlighted the quality of preparation and execution that led to the victory in Dhaka, pointing to specific areas where the visiting side outperformed their hosts.
“I think our spinners outbowled their spinners and our batsmen responded to playing spin better than theirs. I think that was one of the most pleasing things for me and for Floyd [Reifer, the batting coach]” Sammy was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
The West Indies had benefited from a dedicated training camp in Chennai at the Super Kings Academy and the Sri Ramachandra Centre for Sports Science before departing for Bangladesh. Sammy acknowledged the impact of that preparation on the team’s ability to handle the conditions they would face.
“[A pleasing aspect] was the way we fought, [the way] we stayed in the game, but I must go to the preparation put into that camp. Kudos to Cricket West Indies for allowing us to practice and prepare in Chennai at the [Super Kings Academy and Sri Ramachandra Centre for Sports Science,” Sammy said.
Batting coach Floyd Reifer and Sriram Krishnamurthy, the high-performance coach at the Chennai Academy, had worked extensively with the batsmen to prepare them for spin-bowling conditions. Sammy credited that work with translating into the team’s strong batting display against Bangladesh’s spinners.
“[Batting coach] Floyd Reifer, the work he and Sri [Sriram Krishnamurthy, high-performance coach at the Academy] did with the batters, preparing them for these conditions, led us to what you saw from the batters versus spin. Then obviously the preparation we put in once we got here and seeing it transfer into the match, that was always pleasing for us,” he further added.
Brandon King’s unbeaten 81 in the fourth innings proved crucial to West Indies’ successful chase. Sammy singled out that performance as one of the standout individual contributions that impressed him during the match.
Looking ahead to Sylhet, Sammy expected Bangladesh to present a stern challenge. He noted that Bangladesh held fourth position on the World Test Championship table before the series began, having recently defeated Australia in a Test match.
Amite Hasan called up for Bangladesh’s second Test
“Before we started this [series] they were fourth on the table in the Test Championship [after] winning [a Test] against Australia, so we are very aware of what’s at stake. Within the group, we are eager to achieve our goals set back in Barbados when the WTC cycle started.” Sammy said.
For the second Test, Sammy called for increased intensity from his squad. He wanted to see the same competitive approach that had delivered victory in Dhaka, combined with greater hunger and determination.
“I want the same mentality, a little bit more hunger,” Sammy said.
West Indies have won three Tests in the current World Test Championship cycle, claiming victories against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in earlier series before the success in Dhaka. However, they have not yet secured a series win in this cycle. Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons would be expected to make adjustments for the second Test as his team sought to level the series.
