Bangladesh Name 15-Player Test Squad for West Indies Series: Taskin Ahmed Returns
By NajamSports Team | October 23, 2026
I have been saying for weeks that Bangladesh's red-ball plans badly needed their best fast bowler back, and this morning the selectors finally agreed with me. Bangladesh have named a 15-player squad for their home ICC World Test Championship series against the West Indies, and the headline news — for me, at least — is the return of Taskin Ahmed.
The announcement came on Friday, just five days before the first Test starts in Mirpur. After a bruising few weeks in white-ball cricket, this is the reset Bangladesh desperately needed.
What Happened?
Bangladesh announced their 15-man squad for the two-match home Test series against the West Indies, part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. The first Test begins at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on October 28 (running to November 1), and the second will be played in Sylhet from November 5 to 9.
Taskin Ahmed returns after missing the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the start of this month. Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain the side through the series, while Litton Das has been included despite a recent hip injury — a selection call that tells you exactly how highly the team management rates him.
Full Bangladesh Squad (15 Players)
- Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain)
- Taskin Ahmed
- Litton Das
- Mushfiqur Rahim
- Mominul Haque
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz
- Taijul Islam
- Shoriful Islam
- Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury
- Hasan Mahmud
- Shadman Islam
- Jaker Ali Anik
- Nayeem Hasan
- Tanzid Hasan
- Tawhid Hridoy
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Series Schedule
- 1st Test: October 28 – November 1, Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur
- 2nd Test: November 5 – 9, Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet
Why This News Matters
Bangladesh currently sit fourth on the World Test Championship standings, and they have made no secret of their target: a top-two finish and a place in the 2027 final. A home series against the West Indies is precisely the kind of fixture where they must bank maximum points. Anything less than a series win here, and that final dream starts slipping away.
This also comes at a delicate moment. Bangladesh's white-ball form has been shaky — remember Zimbabwe's 99-run hammering of Bangladesh earlier this month and Afghanistan knocking them out of the UAE tri-series. The Test team needs to change the mood of the whole camp.
Our Analysis
Here is my honest take on this squad, and I will not sugar-coat it.
Taskin's return changes everything. Bangladesh's home Tests have become predictable: spin, spin, and more spin. That works against weaker sides, but good teams now plan for it. Taskin gives Shanto a genuine new-ball wicket-taker — someone who can blow the top order away in the first session at Mirpur when there is early moisture, and then come back to reverse the old ball. Without him against Afghanistan, the attack looked one-dimensional. With him, it has teeth.
The Litton gamble worries me. Picking a batter carrying a hip injury is a risk, and it quietly admits something: Bangladesh do not trust their batting depth right now. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque bring experience, but the middle order has looked brittle all month. If Litton breaks down mid-series, the selectors will have questions to answer.
The spin cupboard is full, the pace cupboard finally is too. Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nayeem Hasan give Bangladesh three quality spin options for turning tracks, while Taskin, Shoriful, Ebadot and Hasan Mahmud mean four seamers competing for two or three spots. That is the healthiest the pace department has looked in a home series for a long time — and Ebadot's return to the Test frame alongside Taskin is quietly one of the best things about this squad.
Do not underestimate the West Indies. On paper Bangladesh should win at home, but the visitors always bring awkward pace and never-say-die lower-order batting. Bangladesh's habit this year has been losing sessions they should control — that is how you draw Tests you should win.
My prediction: if Taskin stays fit through both Tests, Bangladesh win this series — 2-0 is realistic, 1-0 the minimum acceptable. Anything less would be a serious blow to their World Test Championship final ambitions. And frankly, after the white-ball disappointments, the fans in Mirpur deserve a proper home performance.
Conclusion
Bangladesh have picked a strong, balanced 15 for the West Indies Tests, and Taskin Ahmed's return is the story of the squad. Fourth place in the WTC table, a home series, and a pace attack with real bite — the stage is set. Now the team has to deliver. The first Test starts in Mirpur on October 28, and I will be watching every session.
For more on Bangladesh's recent form, read our Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe final preview — the tri-series Bangladesh just exited.
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