West Indies recall Shai Hope, drop Roach for home series against Australia

West Indies have made sweeping changes to their Test squad for the upcoming home Tests against Australia, which signals the start of their 2025-27 Test Championship Cycle. Roston Chase, who last played in a Test match in March 2023 and was recently named captain of the Test team, leads a team that looks fresh and has limited-overs skipper Shai Hope brought back. Veteran pacer Kemar Roach has been left out while Hope's deputy in ODIs - Brandon King - has earned a maiden call-up. Following Kevlon Anderson's recent success in the domestic setup, West Indies have added to their top order by bringing back John Campbell and selecting him for the first time. Anderson scored 573 runs in 11 innings in the West Indies Championship 2024/25, including three centuries, and finished third on the list of run-getters. "I'm excited about the inclusion of young prospect Kevlon Anderson, who comes in after solid seasons in our domestic competitions to help provide stability in the top order, while the return of Shai Hope is welcomed given his consistency in white ball cricket," head coach Daren Sammy said. "The addition of Brandon King fits a role we've identified that requires special attention to propel our team closer to the top of the rankings," The bowling unit has a few fresh faces too. Johann Layne, who is 21 years old, joins the team after taking 63 wickets in 17 first-class matches. Anderson Phillip, who was part of the squad in Pakistan too, recently picked a five-fer for West Indies A against South Africa A. "The start of the Test Championship Cycle is critical to building positive momentum as we strive to work our way up the rankings. Beginning with a strong showing against a team like Australia would be ideal in our quest to bring West Indies back to the helm of Test Cricket," Sammy said. He continued, "It was imperative that we sought to put together a squad that was well equipped, in both the batting and bowling departments, to manage the ebbs and flows of this format of the game, while possessing the ability to apply pressure in key phases, through disciplined, purposeful play." "It was imperative that we sought to put together a squad that was well equipped," he said. In addition to Roach, there are players like Joshua da Silva, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Amir Jangoo, Gudakesh Motie, and Kevin Sinclair who played in Pakistan but were not selected to play in the Tests against Australia. The first of the three Tests will start on June 25 in Barbados. West Indies squad for Australia Tests : Roston Chase (Captain), Jomel Warrican (Vice Captain), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales