West Indies lead 1-0 after winning the first Test at Mirpur by eight wickets, so the second Test at Sylhet is Bangladesh’s chance to draw level. It starts on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 03:30 GMT (09:30 in Bangladesh, 09:00 IST) at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, according to ESPNcricinfo. Our lean is West Indies, mainly because their spinners were clearly better than Bangladesh’s at Mirpur, although the margin for error is small.
What happened in the first Test
Bangladesh made 272 in the first innings but were bowled out for 142 in the second, and West Indies chased 170 for the loss of two wickets. Jomel Warrican took 9 wickets in the match (5/53 and 4/63) and Roston Chase took 5/36 in the second innings, so the two spinners took 14 of the 20 Bangladesh wickets. After the match, coach Daren Sammy said the spinners had out-bowled their Bangladesh counterparts (ESPNcricinfo headline: “Our spinners outbowled the Bangladesh spinners”). Our full report is on the first Test result page.
Squads and changes
Bangladesh bring in Amite Hasan for Mominul Haque, who made 28 at Mirpur. Mushfiqur Rahim, who missed the first Test with a finger injury, is still in the squad. His fitness is the main team question, as no confirmation of his selection in the XI had been published when we checked.
| Team | Squad named for the 2nd Test (ESPNcricinfo) |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh | Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vc), Amite Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Jaker Ali, Litton Das (wk), Mushfiqur Rahim, Nayeem Hasan, Shadman Islam, Shoriful Islam, Taijul Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Towhid Hridoy |
| West Indies | Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Joshua Bishop, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Shamar Springer, Kevin Wickham |
West Indies have named a 15 that includes Kemar Roach, Joshua Da Silva, Shamar Springer and Kevin Wickham, none of whom played at Mirpur.
Head to head
West Indies have won 16 of their 23 Tests against Bangladesh since 2002. Bangladesh have won 5 and two Tests have been drawn, which includes the Mirpur result.
Why we lean West Indies
Two factors decide it for us. First, spin: Warrican and Chase took 14 wickets between them at Mirpur, while Bangladesh’s three spinners (Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz) took 8 and none in the chase. Second, Bangladesh’s second-innings collapse to 142 suggests the batting remains the weak link when the ball turns. The uncertainty is real: no pitch report or weather forecast had been published for Sylhet when we checked, and Bangladesh led on the first innings at Mirpur by 27 runs.
What would change this view
A flat Sylhet pitch with little turn, a Bangladesh XI that includes Mushfiqur Rahim and a strong opening day for Shadman Islam, who scored 105 at Mirpur, would push us toward a draw or a Bangladesh win.
