Keemo Paul Withdraws from Test Series Against Bangladesh; Shamar Springer Steps In
Keemo Paul misses the Test series against Bangladesh for personal reasons, with Shamar Springer taking his place in the West Indies squad.
New Delhi, October 18 (Daily Kiran) : Keemo Paul will not participate in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh due to personal reasons. His absence opens the door for Shamar Springer, who has been named as his replacement for the two-match series.
Paul is returning home for family matters, leaving the West Indies team with a gap in their lineup. Springer has yet to make his Test debut but has played three One Day Internationals and 12 T20 matches for the Caribbean side, taking 18 wickets along the way. He is also known for his batting contributions, having scored 116 runs in T20s at a strike rate of 168.
In first-class cricket, Springer has accumulated 1,043 runs and taken 58 wickets. His performance in the 2026 West Indies Championship was notable, where he averaged 50.20 with the bat, scoring 251 runs in four matches. However, his bowling was less impressive, with seven wickets at an average of 42.00 over eight innings.
The West Indies team is facing a player shortage ahead of the Bangladesh series. Along with Paul, white-ball captain Shai Hope has been rested, and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph is also absent due to workload management. Initially, Paul was included in the squad to replace Joseph.
The West Indies will kick off their tour of Bangladesh with a three-day warm-up match in Dhaka from October 22 to 24. The first Test is scheduled to take place in Mirpur from October 28 to November 1, followed by the second Test in Sylhet from November 5 to 9.
The updated West Indies squad includes: Roston Chase (captain), Jomel Warrican (vice-captain), Joshua Bishop, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva (wicketkeeper), Justin Greaves, Kevon Hodge, Amir Jangoo (wicketkeeper), Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Kemar Roach, Jaden Seales, Shamar Springer, and Kevin Wickham.
