On 29 December 2020, Cricket West Indies announced their squads for the tour, with Kraigg Brathwaite and Jason Mohammed named as captains for the Test and ODI matches respectively.[5] Regular Test and ODI captains Jason Holder and Kieron Pollard were two of ten players who opted not to travel due to COVID-19 concerns or personal reasons.[6]Shakib Al Hasan was named in Bangladesh's ODI squad, after serving a year-long ban for failing to report a corrupt approach.[7]
The first ODI saw seven cricketers make their debut in the format, six of them for the West Indies.[8] Bangladesh won the opening match by six wickets, with more than 16 overs to spare.[9] Bangladesh won the second ODI by seven wickets to take an unassailable lead in the series.[10] Bangladesh won the third and final ODI by 120 runs, taking the series 3–0.[11]
The West Indies won the first Test by three wickets, with Kyle Mayers scoring an unbeaten double century on debut.[12] The West Indies also won the second Test, by 17 runs, to take the series 2–0.[13]
Background
Originally, the tour was scheduled to have three Tests, three ODIs and two Twenty20 International (T20I) matches.[14] In October 2020, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced that the Bangabandhu T20 Cup would be used as the criteria to select players for the T20I matches.[15][16] In November 2020, the BCB sent details of their bio-bubble plan to Cricket West Indies (CWI).[17] Officials from CWI visited Bangladesh during November and December 2020, and reported that they were "very impressed" with the COVID-19 protocols in the country.[18]
In November 2020, the two cricket boards also looked at the possibility of reducing the tour by one Test match, per a request that was made by the West Indies.[19] In December 2020, both cricket boards agreed to play two Test matches instead of three,[20] and dropped the T20I fixtures from the tour itinerary.[21] On 10 January 2021, the BCB updated the tour itinerary, including changing the start times of the ODI matches and reducing the four-day tour match to a three-day fixture.[22]
Bangladesh did not have any umpires on the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.[23] As a result, England's Richard Illingworth was named as one of the umpires for the Test matches, the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that a neutral umpire was named for a Test series.[24]
Romario Shepherd was ruled out of the West Indies' squad due to a positive test for COVID-19, with Keon Harding named as his replacement.[29] On 15 January 2021, Hayden Walsh Jr. was also ruled out of the West Indies' squad for testing positive for COVID-19.[30]Shakib Al Hasan was ruled out of Bangladesh's squad for the second Test due to a thigh injury,[31] with Soumya Sarkar named as his replacement.[32]Shadman Islam was also ruled out of Bangladesh's squad for the second Test, due to a hip injury.[33]