West Indies captain Roston Chase has urged the first-time visitors in his squad to set aside any assumptions about pitch behaviour as the side prepares for a two-match Test series in Bangladesh, beginning October 28, 2026. The first Test is scheduled at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, from October 28 to November 1, while the second Test follows at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium from November 5 to 9.
Only five players in the current West Indies squad have previously played Test cricket in Bangladesh: Joshua Da Silva, John Campbell, Jomel Warrican, Kemar Roach, and Chase himself. That leaves the majority of the touring party without any experience of local conditions.
Speaking ahead of the series opener, Chase told the newcomers to trust their instincts rather than arrive with fixed ideas.
"We just tell them to play what they see. We don't want them to come into the game with any preconceived mindset as to if a pitch is going to spin, if it's going to seam, whatever it's going to do. We just want them to come with a clear and open mind to do whatever is needed of them at any given time to succeed. We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves in terms of thinking what the wicket is going to do. We just want to play every ball on merit," Chase said, as quoted by Cricinfo.
Chase added that he does not expect any single tactical template to govern the batting approach. He said each player should rely on their own strengths and adjust to whatever the conditions and the scoreboard demand at any given moment. Chase acknowledged Shai Hope's absence but redirected focus to the 15 players available.
"He's going to be a big miss for us having Shai Hope out, but he's been playing a lot of cricket. Obviously he's the captain of both white-ball formats, he's been in great form, but he's not here, so that's something that we can't worry about. We have to worry with the 15 guys that we have in the squad and just try to go out there and give our best of ourselves in the batting department," Chase said.
What does Chase expect from the Mirpur pitch?
Chase inspected the surface at Shere Bangla National Stadium before the series and shared his reading of what the pitch is likely to offer across the five days. His assessment came against the backdrop of wider discussion in Bangladesh about preparing sporting tracks, following Pakistan's 2-0 Test series defeat in Dhaka and Sylhet on pitches that offered pace and bounce before turning later in the game.
Chase said that he has had a close look at the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, the venue for the first Test. He expects the conditions to favour spin though there has been chatter in Bangladesh about playing on sporting pitches in Dhaka and Sylhet, where Pakistan recently lost 2-0 on pitches that had pace and bounce, but offered turn later in the game. The captain elaborated on his reading of the surface.
"Obviously with the grass you would think that it may be more spin friendly, but looking at it, it still looks a bit dry underneath. And it's Bangladesh. It is really known for mainly spin, so we think that it will get some spin also," he said.
He stressed that whichever side adapts best to the conditions across all four innings will hold the advantage, since both teams play on the same surface.
How does Chase assess West Indies' batting depth without Shai Hope?
West Indies travel to Bangladesh without Shai Hope, who was rested after an intensive white-ball schedule during the tour of India in September and October 2026, where he struck four centuries across ODIs and T20Is. Alzarri Joseph was also withdrawn from the tour for workload management, with Shamar Springer earning his maiden Test call-up as a replacement. The side currently sits eighth in the ICC World Test Championship 2025-2027 standings, having recorded two wins, eight losses and two draws from 12 Tests. Chase pointed to the batting unit's recent ability to post substantial first-innings totals as a source of confidence.
"I think as a batting unit, we've been able to put some big first innings scores, over 300 runs in the first innings. And I think that adds a lot of pressure to the other team," he said.
Chase was also pleased with the camaraderie in the Test side, describing the group as the best-gelling unit across all three formats, with the five-day format naturally bringing players closer together over longer stints on tour. West Indies won their last Test series in Bangladesh 2-0 in 2021, and Chase will be hoping the squad can draw on that positive history when the first ball is bowled on October 28.
