Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo are heading home – in both senses – after being recalled for West Indies’ two-match World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka in Antigua later this month. Fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph also return, having missed the tours of India and New Zealand through injury.
Da Silva, now 33 caps in, forced his way back by scoring 996 first-class runs across the last two West Indies Championship seasons. Tevin Imlach, who kept wicket on the New Zealand trip and managed only 81 runs in six innings, shifts to captain a West Indies Select XI that will face the tourists at Coolidge (18–21 June).
Jangoo’s journey has been shorter but no less eventful. He was discarded after a single Test in Multan early in 2025 – scores of 0 and 30 hardly helped – yet 411 runs in seven Championship knocks, including a career-best 203 not out for Trinidad & Tobago, have earned him another chance. Roston Chase leads the main Test side.
Both Josephs last played Tests during Australia’s mid-2025 visit. Shamar’s brief but electric start to international cricket has people talking, while Alzarri’s experience is valued in home conditions. Selection chair Desmond Haynes said the pair bring “pace we’ve missed”.
Head coach Daren Sammy, sounding typically measured, told Cricket West Indies media:
“Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead. For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”
Sammy is running a high-performance camp in Antigua from 12–22 June. Players involved in the recent white-ball matches against Sri Lanka – West Indies lost the ODIs but edged the T20Is – link up on the 15th. The coach views the camp as vital sharpening time:
“This is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent. It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan.”
Fixtures
25–29 June – 1st Test, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound
3–7 July – 2nd Test, same venue
Provisional West Indies squad
Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Amir Jangoo (wk), Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Kemar Roach, Gudakesh Motie, Jomel Warrican.
Select XI v Sri Lanka
Tevin Imlach (c & wk), Zachary McCaskie, Kavem Hodge, Keacy Carty, Dominic Drakes, Anderson Phillip, Kevin Sinclair, Sherfane Rutherford, Veerasammy Permaul, Nyeem Young, Jair McAllister.
Analysis – calm but needed
Leaving out Imlach might feel harsh, yet selectors could hardly ignore Da Silva’s weight of runs. The keeping gloves remain a straight shoot-out, though Da Silva’s glovework must stay sharp; early summer surfaces here can be lively.
The middle order still leans on Chase and newcomer Athanaze, whose stroke-play impressed in New Zealand. Jangoo’s recall provides a left-hand option and frees Holder to bat lower, where his counter-punch suits Antigua’s usually slow fourth-innings tracks.
Bowling looks stronger. Shamar Joseph, raw pace intact after hamstring trouble, offers the point of difference, while Alzarri adds new-ball nous. Roach’s craft on home turf should complement Gudakesh Motie’s left-arm spin as the tracks dry.
Sri Lanka, rebuilding yet dangerous, bring disciplined seam and the ever-threatening Prabath Jayasuriya. West Indies know draws are no longer enough in the WTC cycle; wins at home set up an autumn tour against Pakistan.
Nothing flashy, then, but a solid squad on paper – one that now has to show, not tell, the progress Sammy keeps preaching.
