Shai Hope is back in whites. After more than three years spent steering West Indies’ limited-overs sides, the 30-year-old will take the gloves and bat in the middle order when Australia arrive in Barbados next week. The recall is not something he hunted, he admits, yet he has promised to throw everything at it.
“Representing West Indies, they always give me a lot of joy and pride,” Hope said in Bridgetown earlier this week. “I think that was the main focus, just being able to represent the region and bring my impact on the game and obviously the transfer of that inspiration back into the next generation. I’m happy to be back. It’s not something I would say I was looking forward to in terms of, ‘I have to play Test cricket again’. But if the opportunity came, I would always be willing to take it.”
Hope’s last Test appearance was at Galle in December 2021. Since then he has captained the ODI and T20I teams, scored heavily in 50-over cricket, and fielded occasional queries about whether he might take over the Test leadership. When Kraigg Brathwaite stepped down earlier this month, selectors asked Hope if he wanted a formal interview for the job. He declined, citing workload. Roston Chase accepted instead and, slightly unexpectedly, will debut as Test skipper with Hope keeping wicket.
“I believe if I’m doing something, I’m committed to it,” Hope continued. “So if I decided to come back and play Test cricket, my main focus would be to give it my all. If success is there or not, the decision to leave me in or include me, that’s up to the decision makers. But, yes, as long as I’m being committed to the task at hand, I think I’m going to give my all.”
Chase and Hope spent several hours with head coach Daren Sammy last week mapping out roles. The coach, keen to blend experience and youth, views Hope’s calm presence behind the stumps as a stabilising force for a bowling attack still learning life after Kemar Roach. Yet the extra duty raises obvious questions about fatigue. Hope’s schedule already includes an eight-team CPL, an away Champions Trophy qualifier, and a home T20 World Cup next June.
“The reality is the best or the most elite players, they don’t play all throughout the year in all three formats,” Hope said. “So there’s some rest involved, [and] there’s some give or take. But I pride myself on being as fit and being as ready as possible for whatever is thrown at me. And that’s what I’m going to try to do. If I’m playing all three formats, let’s say for the next two, three, five, ten years, however long, I want to make sure I’m doing it the best I can.”
He recognises the toll. “The amount of cricket I’ve been playing for the last couple of years, the workload has been pretty intense. It’s just about managing that a little bit better. We understand the magnitude of games that we have over the next cycle.”
Selectors were persuaded by recent domestic scores – two centuries in four first-class outings – and by Hope’s willingness to keep wicket again. Chase, for his part, welcomed the appointment. “Shai’s presence is massive,” the new captain said on radio. “He’s got a calm head and sees the game a couple of overs ahead. That’s gold for a young side.”
Hope insists the immediate goal is impact rather than tenure. “It’s about seeing what’s best for West Indies cricket. I guess they felt as though I would have been the perfect person to come in at this stage in my career and see what impact I can have. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Beyond Australia, West Indies travel to England in late July before pivoting quickly into white-ball build-ups for next year’s global events. Whether Hope can juggle everything remains to be seen; whether West Indies can capitalise on his return is an even bigger unknown. Either way, the first clue arrives at Kensington Oval next Thursday.
