West Indies Head coach Andre Coley is exuding quiet confidence as his team prepares for their upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

With the matches—scheduled for November 22-26 in Antigua and November 30 to December 4 in Kingston—marking the final home series in the current World Test Championship cycle, Coley is determined to see the Caribbean side end the year on a high note after recent setbacks.

The West Indies are coming off a disappointing tour of South Africa, where they failed to capitalize on key moments and eventually lost that two-match series 1-0 after the first game ended in a draw. Reflecting on those matches, Coley stressed the importance of learning from the past and seizing the opportunity to close out this series on a strong note. 

“Coming off the disappointment of the South Africa series, we put ourselves in a position to close out that series, and we didn’t. So the opportunity is there for us to do so against Bangladesh now, and it is very important for us to come up with a winning result on home soil,” Coley said in a pre-series interview.

“We’ve always had exciting and challenging series against Bangladesh, and this series offers a chance to create momentum as we head into tougher assignments in Australia and Pakistan,” he added. 

Coley and his team, which includes players from the regional 50-over tournament and recent white-ball series, are currently in Antigua fine-tuning preparations ahead of Friday’s first day.

Despite initial weather disruptions, Coley pointed out that the team has had productive sessions, with all players fit and ready for action. 

While West Indies boast a strong home record against Bangladesh, Coley is keen to keep his squad grounded. He recognizes the challenges posed by Bangladesh and the added intrigue of familiar faces on the opposition side, including Bangladesh Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, a figure Coley knows well. 

“Each match brings a different opportunity. We have players who’ve been successful against Bangladesh, both home and away, but we also have some new players who wouldn’t have played in any of those series. So it’s an opportunity for senior players and emerging players to show what they are capable of and what we are capable of as a team,” Coley noted.

The series against Bangladesh serves as a vital stepping stone beyond the larger context of the World Test Championship, as West Indies sit at the foot of the standings in ninth on 20 points.

Still, with four matches left in the cycle, Coley is focused on building a cohesive unit capable of competing at the highest level.

“This series is about putting everything together from the last year and a half and ending the year in good form,” he declared.

That said, the Jamaican highlighted the importance of fan support, especially during the festive season. Cricket remains a unifying force in the Caribbean, and Coley hopes that fans will rally behind the team.

“I know that the West Indian fans really want us to do well and have been supportive in their own way because cricket means a lot to the region and the fans are very passionate about the game. Despite the nature of our squad, emerging and experienced players, everyone in the squad wants to do well, so I want to encourage the fans to come out and support us and give us that extra boost of encouragement at home,” Coley ended.

Stuart Clark believes Australia's "world-class" fast bowlers will be the key to beating India ahead of their upcoming Test series.

India are looking to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in their five-match series, having triumphed 2-1 in the teams' last meeting in 2022-23.

Meanwhile, Australia, playing their first Test match since March, have not tasted success in a series against India since 2014-15.

India are coming off the back of a heavy defeat to New Zealand in the longest format though, and Clark, who represented Australia between 2006 and 2009, thinks their bowlers have the ability to cause real problems.

"Well, I think the three fast bowlers, I think they need to play as much as possible," he told Stats Perform. "They're world-class.

"They're the best quartet of bowlers in the history of the game if you throw Lyon in there. So, you got three fast bowlers and [Nathan] Lyon. So, I think those three fast bowlers in particular need to stay fit, and they need to stay healthy.

"We've seen when they have been fit and healthy and in good form. [Josh] Hazlewood, [Mitchell] Starc and [Pat] Cummins, they have dominated other teams around the world. And then you come to Australia on the bouncy pitches that we have here, and they go straight to Perth, which is just a baptism of fire. I think that will be the big key.

"And then you got, I don't think Rohit Sharma's coming for the first two games, I think he's missing the first two games for family reasons. [Virat] Kohli hasn't been in the best of form. The spinners in [Ravindra] Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin aren't as effective in Australia as they are in the subcontinent.

"So, from that point of view, there's a few of those little byplays or little storylines that are going on. But coming back to my first point is that the three fast bowlers, they hold a big key to the success in this tour, in the series."

India's recent defeat to New Zealand was the first time they lost a Test series 3-0 on home soil in their history and the first time they have lost three red-ball matches in any singles home series since 1983.

In Australia, India will be without Rohit Sharma, who stayed at home for the birth of his second child, for the first Test, while Shubman Gill is also set to miss out with a fractured thumb.

Clark noted that their absences, along with the recent struggles of Kohli, who managed just 93 runs across his six innings in the New Zealand series, will come as a confidence boost as Australia aim to snap their losing run against India.

"They should take confidence from that [India loss]," he added. "India haven't been beaten by anyone in you know who knows how long.

"So, they are so good in their conditions, and they're so foreign to everyone else. But it probably shows the vulnerability of the Indian team - they're probably at the point where they're starting to go through a bit of a generational change with their batting.

"They've been around for a long period of time. They're not in the best form that they've ever been in. So that's starting to cause them some concerns.

"[Jasprit] Bumrah has been injured. He's back. He's world-class. There's no question about that. But can he get through five Test matches? [Mohammed] Siraj has been around.

"So, there's some questions again around the Indian cricket team. And how much has that form in India dented their confidence because like all things in sport, if you're confident about what you're doing, that makes a massive difference to the way you play.

Nathan McSweeney is set to open the batting on his Australia debut in their first Test against India in Perth.

He will open alongside experienced batter Usman Khawaja, while the uncapped Josh Inglis is also included in the 13-man squad.

Australia are seeking a consistent replacement for the retired David Warner, with the 25-year-old being preferred to previous openers Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft.

McSweeney opened for the first time in first-class cricket against India A, and overall, has six centuries.

The first of the five-match Test series against India starts on November 22, with India winning the past four Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia squad for first Test v India:

Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc.

India were whitewashed in a three-match home Test series for the very first time as New Zealand sealed a 25-run victory in the final match at Wankhede on Sunday.

Having given themselves hope of avoiding a 3-0 defeat on day two, India found themselves chasing 145 for victory on a difficult pitch after Ravindra Jadeja had Ajaz Patel (8) caught by Akash Deep.

However, Rishabh Pant’s fine 64 off 57 balls was not enough for the hosts as the wickets tumbled around him, Patel scalping six in the second India innings to take his tally for the match to 11.

India lost four within the first eight overs with Patel taking two, sending stumps flying to account for Shubman Gill then having Sarfaraz Khan caught for one run apiece. 

The Mumbai-born seamer finally got Pant’s all-important wicket 22 overs in following a successful review from Tom Latham, and India never looked likely to complete the chase from there.

Glenn Phillips got in on the act with two wickets in two balls to dismiss Ravinchandran Ashwin (8) and Akash (0) before Patel finished things off when his spin ball beat the attempted sweep of Washington Sundar (12).

Data Debrief: Black Caps make history

This is the first time India have lost a Test series 3-0 on home soil in their history, and the first time they have lost three red-ball matches in any single home series since 1983.

They were last blanked on their own turf in the format in a two-match series versus South Africa in 2000.

It is also the first time New Zealand have ever won three Tests in a single series, while Patel now has 25 wickets in two Tests at the Wankhede Stadium – the most by any visiting bowler at a single venue versus India.

Ravindra Jadeja took a five-for but New Zealand hit back with some late wickets of their own against India on Friday.

India looked in complete control at 78-1 in the penultimate over of the first day of the third Test in Mumbai, having bowled New Zealand out for 235.

Jadeja, who bowled 22 unchanged overs, was in sensational form with the ball, taking 5-65.

Able support arrived from the excellent Washington Sundar, who finished with figures of 4-81. His haul included the wicket of Daryl Mitchell (82), who was the only New Zealand batter to really make a dent.

Rohit Sharma's dismissal for 18 in the seventh over did not derail a positive start to India's chase, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (30) and Shubman Gill (31 not out) looking steady at the crease.

However, Jaiswal was bowled by Ajaz Patel (2-33) in the 18th over, with Mohammed Siraj pinned lbw from the very next ball.

Patel was unable to complete his hat-trick, but Virat Kohli was run out for four in the next over as New Zealand rallied, and the tourists now have plenty of momentum heading into day two.

Data Debrief: Three of a kind

India have won their last three Tests at Wankhede Stadium, including a 372-run win over New Zealand in their last match at the venue (3 December 2021), after not registering a win in three matches prior to that span (D1 L2).

And they looked well placed to push on and continue that run as they looked to avoid slipping to a third defeat of the series.

They last lost three successive Tests on home soil back in the 1970s, when they faced England, but their late capitulation has left them vulnerable to matching that.

South Africa wrapped up the second Test against Bangladesh inside three days by hammering their hosts by an innings and 273 runs in Chattogram.

The victory made it a 2-0 clean sweep in the series for the tourists, who had started the third day in a great spot having left Bangladesh 38-4 in their first innings at stumps on Wednesday.

The Proteas tore through the Bangladesh middle order before bowling them all out for 159 in their first innings.

Seamer Kagiso Rabada, on the way to a five-for, got the ball rolling with the dismissal of captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (nine) before Mushfiqur Rahim was caught by Tony de Zorzi off Dane Paterson for a duck.

Wickets continued to fall in quick succession, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (one) and Mahidul Islam Ankon (zero) both dismissed by Rabada to leave Bangladesh 48-8. Despite a late rally, they were all out for 159 and South Africa enforced the follow-on to good effect.

Bangladesh made another poor start to their innings, losing Mahmudul Hasan Joy (11), Shadman Islam (six), Zakir Hasan (seven) and Mominul Haque (zero) for just 43 runs, as Keshav Maharaj (5-59) and Senuran Muthusamy leading South Africa's charge to victory.

Data Debrief: Bangladesh's dismal home form rolls on

This defeat was Bangladesh's fifth Test loss in a row at home, which equals their worst run since October 2011 and November 2012.

But the third day of this test was all about South Africa's bowlers, who took 16 wickets in total.

Rabada was first to take a five-for in the first innings, but was later joined by Maharaj. Senuran Muthasamy, meanwhile, took career-best figures of 4-45 in the second innings.

New Zealand made history by becoming the first touring side to win a Test series in India since 2012 with a historic 113-run triumph in Pune on Saturday. 

Mitchell Santner's figures of 6-104 in the second innings proved decisive, bowling the Blackcaps to an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the series. 

New Zealand started the day 198-5 with Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips at the crease, the former adding 11 runs to his overnight total before being bowled out by Ravindra Jadeja.

Phillips (48) remained until the end as the wickets tumbled around him as Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel and Will O'Rourke all failed to reach double figures. 

The Blackcaps posted a total of 255, to give India a target of 359 for victory, with the hosts starting well in their run chase through Yashasvi Jaiswal's 77 runs from 66 balls. 

But Santner would go on to rip out the top order, claiming the wickets of Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (eight), Shubman Gill (23) and Virat Kohli (17) and Rishabh Pant (zero), the latter coming via a run out.

India were desperate for a batter to steady the ship, but it never came to fruition, as Washington Sundar (21) was bowled out by Phillips, while Sarfaraz Khan (nine) became Santner's latest victim.

The victory was sealed when Jadeja (18) was caught by Daryl Mitchell on the boundary, sparking joyous scenes among the tourists.

Data Debrief: Santner stars in historic win

New Zealand have beaten India on their home turf, marking their first home series loss in 12 years, with the triumph spearheaded by Santner.

Having never taken more than three wickets in an innings or six in a match, Santner ended with match figures of 13 for 157, the third-best by any visiting bowler in India.

Pakistan romped to a first Test series win on home soil since 2021 after coming from 1-0 down to clinch a series victory over England with a nine-wicket triumph in Rawalpindi. 

The tourists were again undone by Pakistan's spin bowlers, with Sajid Khan and Noman Ali seeing England all out for 112, their lowest ever total in Pakistan. 

England started 24-3 with Harry Brook and Joe Root at the crease, with the pair starting confidently before the former was caught by Mohammad Rizwan from Noman's delivery.

Ben Stokes (three) and Jamie Smith (three) followed shortly after, with Root then edging from another Noman delivery to all but England's slim hopes of a victory.

The tourists lost seven wickets for just 46 runs, with Noman (6-42) and Sajid (4-69) claiming all 10 dismissals in the second innings, with Pakistan set a target of just 36 to win. 

Jack Leach was able to grab the early wicket of Saim Ayub (eight), but Shan Masood (23) and Abdullah Shafique (five) steered the hosts to a memorable victory. 

England's next Test series starts in New Zealand at the end of November, while an almost entirely different squad begins a white-ball series in the West Indies next week. 

Data Debrief: Pakistan end home hoodoo

Having been beaten in six consecutive Tests and winless in 11 at home, Pakistan earned a memorable victory on home soil, spearheaded by Noman and Sajid. 

Sajid rightly picked up the Player of the Series award, taking 19 wickets which included two five-wicket hauls, while also scoring 72 runs with the bat. 

But Noman also played his part in the triumph. Along with Sajid, the pair took 39 of the 40 wickets in the final two Tests against England.

Saud Shakeel’s brilliant century saw Pakistan regain control in their deciding Test against England, with the help of some late wickets.

The tourists had started the day strongly, but their momentum slowly fizzled out through the day as they struggled to cope with Shakeel.

England took three late wickets on Thursday and picked up where they left off as Shoaib Bashir took Shan Masood before Rehad Ahmed's 4-66 put Pakistan in trouble at 187-7, the youngster scalping three in quick succession.

However, Shakeel was in control with the bat, plundering 134, and he was helped by lower-order partnerships with Noman Ali (45) and Sajid Khan (48 not out) as he pushed Pakistan towards their 344 total, and a 77-run lead.

Any hopes England had of quickly regaining their lead were quickly squashed, as they lost three wickets in the nine overs played before stumps, with Zak Crawley (2), Ben Duckett (12) and Ollie Pope (1) failing to put their stamp on things.

Joe Root (5 not out) and Harry Brook (3) are set to resume at the crease on Saturday on 24-3, with a lot of work to do as they trail by 53.

Data Debrief: The driving force

Shakeel got 16 of his runs at the very end of day one and stood firm through Friday's extended morning session in Rawalpindi as he used his smarts to stay in the game.

He faced 223 deliveries during his stand, but only hit five boundaries in his knock, all fours. 

Instead, it was his partnerships that proved fruitful, racking up 88 runs with Noman before adding another 72 with Khan before he was trapped lbw by Gus Atkinson.

Mitchell Santner's stellar bowling paired with Tom Latham's strong start with the bat put New Zealand in the driving seat on day two of their second Test against India.

The hosts resumed at the crease at 16-1 on Friday, and they started strong as Yashasvi Jaiswal (30) and Shubman Gill (30) got the ball rolling.

However, Santner (7-53) found his footing in the 22nd over, trapping the latter lbw and taking Virat Kohli for just one run shortly after.

Ravindra Jadeja threatened to get India back on track with his knock of 38, but the wickets continued to tumble as they were skittled for 156, already trailing by 103.

Latham then kept the tourists in control, plundering 86 before Washington Sundar picked up where he left off in the first innings.

The spinner took seven wickets on day one and got four more as he tried to limit the damage done by New Zealand in the second innings, but Will Young (23), Devon Conway (17) and Daryl Mitchell (18) kept them ticking over.

New Zealand had a healthy 301-run lead at stumps, ending the day 198-5, with Tom Blundell (30 not out) and Glenn Phillips (9 not out) hoping to keep their momentum going when play resumes on Saturday.

Data Debrief: On the cusp

Sundar's strong start on Thursday had given India hope, but they struggled to build on that when they stepped out for day two.

Instead, it was Santner who grabbed the headlines, with New Zealand pushing to get a maiden Test series win in India and end their hosts' 12-year unbeaten run at home.

Before this Test, he had never taken four wickets in an innings, but he managed an impressive seven-for as he made light work of India's batters.

Jamie Smith says England are "pretty pleased with the position we are in", after the tourists recovered from a tricky spell on day one of their final Test with Pakistan.

England made a strong start with an opening partnership of 56 from Zak Crawley (29) and Ben Duckett (52), but wickets began to tumble as they slumped to 118-6.

Sajid Khan (6-128) did most of the damage for the hosts, but Smith settled things down with a solid knock of 89 before the visitors were dismissed for 267.

Shoaib Bashir, Jack Leach and Guy Atkinson then stalled Pakistan's momentum at the crease, as they finished the day 194 runs adrift at 73-3.

Smith hit seven sixes on the way to his first Test half-century outside of England, and was pleased with the way he and his team-mates responded to their setback. 

"It's nice to do it away from home," he said. "You want to be known as someone who can do it in all conditions. It's nice to score runs wherever. 

"We are pretty pleased with the position we are in. We are happy to put runs on the board. It is a decent score, especially from the position we were in.

"When they're on top, they definitely try and let you know that and put you under as much pressure as possible. So, it's nice to revert that onto them and put them under some pressure."

South Africa's stand-in captain Aiden Markram predicted Thursday's victory over Bangladesh will serve as a confidence boost and help them enjoy more success in Asia in the future.

The Proteas won the first of two Tests by seven wickets, easing to a victory target of 106 in their second innings after skittling the hosts for 106 and 307.

It was their first red-ball victory in Asia since 2014, having failed to win in 14 trips to the continent since beating Sri Lanka in Galle a decade ago.

Markram, however, believes there is more to come from their youthful side, hailing the victory as a major breakthrough.

"It's special. We're a pretty young, slightly inexperienced group, so to come to the subcontinent and get a win is great for us and the environment," Markam said.

"This win does a lot for us and gives us a taste of what playing cricket in the subcontinent is like, and it excites us for the challenges that we possibly face here.

"The biggest thing we take from it is the belief and the confidence that we actually can do well here as a team.

"I believe that's where a lot of the game is played, from a confidence and belief and a mental side of things. It will help the team a lot as far as moving forward goes, seeing if we can put back-to-back performances together."

Bangladesh were always playing catch-up after a dismal first innings with the bat, with only a second-innings score of 97 from Mehidy Hasan Miraz forcing South Africa to bat for a second time.

"Everything was in our favour as we won the toss and decided to bat first," Mehidy said. "It is hard to bat on the fourth day on this wicket so we prepared ourselves in that way. 

"We couldn't score runs, unfortunately. If we could have scored our second innings runs in the first... First innings runs are very important in Test cricket."

England battled back to finish strongly against Pakistan after an early collapse with the bat on day one of the third Test.

The tourists stumbled to 267 in their first innings, but the bowlers managed to salvage some pride late in the day.

Zak Crawley (29) and Ben Duckett (52) initially made a strong start with an opening partnership of 56, but the wickets started to tumble soon after.

Ollie Pope (3), Joe Root, Harry Brook (both 5) and Ben Stokes (12) were all dismissed by Sajid Khan (6-128) as England slumped to 118-6, but Jamie Smith restored some pride.

He was caught by Mohammad Rizwan just short of a century after plundering 89, while Gus Atkinson added a needed 39 before their innings was brought to an end.

However, Pakistan were unable to build on their momentum, as they finished the day 73-3, with Shoaib Bashir, Jack Leach and Atkison stalling them.

The hosts trail by 194 runs after day one of the deciding Test in the three-match series, with Shan Masood (16 not out) and Saud Shakeel (16 not out), set to resume at the crease on Friday. 

Data Debrief: Smith to the rescue

It looked like England might suffer yet another collapse against Pakistan after the quick dismissals of their early batters, but Smith stepped in to steady the tide.

He got his first Test half-century away from home and was unlucky not to come away with a ton after a great stand for England. 

And that was all down to Pakistan's bowling. They employed spin exclusively across the 68.2 overs, the longest first innings in Test history without any seam bowling.

Washington Sundar made his mark on his return to the side, posting a seven-wicket haul to frustrate New Zealand on day one of the second Test.

India look to have quickly put last week's defeat behind them as they made a statement with a strong start.

Ravichandran Ashwin took the first three wickets (3-64), though Devon Conway's knock of 76 had already pushed the tourists to 138-3 before Sundar (7-59) stepped up to the plate.

Rachin Ravindra's 65 almost got them over the 200 mark, before he was bowled by Sundar, who then proceeded to take the next six wickets, with only Daryl Mitchell (18) and Mitchell Santner (33) hitting double figures as New Zealand were limited to 259 inside 80 overs.

However, India's day at the bat did not get off to a good start as Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck.

They reached stumps at 16-1, and Yashasvi Jaiswal (6 not out) and Shubman Gill (10 not out) will be hoping to kick on when they resume play on Friday.

Data Debrief: Washington in charge

Sundar was not even a part of India's Test squad three days ago, but the choice to bring him in has proven inspired.

It was his maiden Test five-for, and his best figures in first-class cricket, as he dismissed the last of New Zealand's batters within 20 overs.

Meanwhile, Jaiswal only needs to get 17 more runs on day two to become just the second batter to reach 1,000 runs in men's Tests in 2024 after Joe Root (1,300 runs).

South Africa eased to their first Test victory in Asia since 2014, with Kagiso Rabada's quick start helping them to a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh on day four.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz had given the hosts hope of a comeback after an inspired performance on Wednesday, but South Africa made light work of the chase to take the lead in the two-match series.

It took just 4.5 overs for them to bowl out Bangladesh for 307, as Rabada (6-46) took Nayeem Hasan (16) on just the third ball of the day.

Taijul Islam (7) helped bring up 300, but the innings was over soon after as he was caught by Tristan Stubbs before Mehidy fell just short of his century at Rabada’s hands.

It took South Africa just 22 overs to hit their target of 106, though Taijul (3-43) tried in vain to keep Bangladesh's hopes alive.

Tony de Zorzi's stand of 41 did most of the damage, helped by Aiden Markram (20), David Bedingham (12) and Stubbs (30 not out), and wrapping the game up before lunch.

Data Debrief: Rabada keeps South Africa's hopes alive

South Africa have moved up to fourth in the World Test Championship table with this win, and have put themselves in a strong position for a final spot.

It was their first victory in Asia in a decade, having failed to win any of their previous 14 trips to the continent since beating Sri Lanka in Galle and losing their last nine. 

The bowlers impressed for both sides. Rabada finished the match 9-72 overall, his 15th five-wicket haul in a Test, while Taijul's attempts to keep Bangladesh in it saw him take eight wickets overall.