Dhaka: West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has urged his players to improve their financial prospects through strong performances in the World Test Championship (WTC), highlighting the additional incentives available for a top-five finish in the ongoing cycle. The team is preparing for a two-Test series against Bangladesh, which begins on Wednesday.

West Indies finished eighth in each of the previous two WTC cycles and will look to improve their position in the 2025-27 edition. The upcoming Bangladesh series marks their final assignment in the current cycle.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced last month that players would face a 25 per cent reduction in retainer fees as the board sought to address its financial, developmental and competitive challenges.

Sammy, however, said the announcement had not affected the players' motivation during their recent white-ball tour of India. He expects the Test squad to display a similar response in Bangladesh.

"If you look at the way we played in the India series when the news was put to the players, how they responded shows the drive, the passion, the willingness to help turn around West Indies cricket," Sammy said, as quoted by Cricinfo.

"I think there's reality and there's understanding where you are as a professional, as a board, and there's no secret where we are, obviously financially," he added.

The West Indies coach believes the prospect of earning additional prize money through the WTC could encourage the players to improve their standing and strengthen their prospects of securing better contracts and sponsorship deals.

"My word to the guys, especially this World Test Championship, you finish in the top five there's extra incentives. ICC has invested a lot of money in the World Test Championship in terms of prize money, and it's an opportunity for our boys to come up from the number eight that we have finished last two cycles," he said, as per Cricinfo.

Sammy acknowledged that the board's financial difficulties were not a major topic of discussion in the dressing room at present. Nevertheless, he has challenged the players to deliver performances that could help attract sponsors and improve their earning potential.

"I don't think it's a conversation that's in the dressing room now, but we are aware. I have challenged the guys to put ourselves in a better position to negotiate and attract sponsors by the performances we put on the field. I thought the white-ball teams did that extremely well in India and hopefully we could do that as a red-ball team here in Bangladesh," said Sammy.

West Indies aim to maintain unbeaten Test series record in 2026

West Indies enter the Bangladesh Tests after an encouraging run in the longest format this year. They beat Sri Lanka 1-0 and drew their series against Pakistan 1-1, remaining unbeaten in a Test series in 2026 so far.

Sammy wants his side to build on those results and finish the WTC cycle strongly, with only two Tests remaining in their campaign.

"The expectations are always there," he said. "The way we have played Test cricket this year, we have not lost a series this year. It's a long time we have gone through a year without losing a series, and this is our last series in the World Test Championship."

"The message to the guys: give it all. Ten possible days of Test cricket left in this cycle for us and just go out there and give it your all. Whatever motivates you, use that to go out and get performances. We have prepared really well," he added.

Chennai camp prepares West Indies for Bangladesh Tests

Ahead of the series, the West Indies squad attended a preparatory camp in Chennai. Sammy credited CWI for arranging the facilities and support needed to help the players prepare for the challenge ahead.

The camp featured assistance from the team's batting coach and Sriram Krishnamurthy of the Chennai Academy, giving the players an opportunity to prepare for conditions expected to be relevant to the Bangladesh series.

"It is something we as a board have really looked at, giving guys the best possible chance to prepare. We had the ODI team there, and we thought Chennai had an amazing facility," Sammy said, as per Cricinfo.

"We sent the batting coach across with the help of Sri (Sriram Krishnamurthy) from the Chennai Academy and kudos to the director, he approved that camp and that preparation. You prepare well, you give yourself the best chance of performing. So leading up to this series I could see the guys are well prepared and hopefully that preparation changes [translates] into performance," he added.

With the Bangladesh series representing their final opportunity to earn points in the current WTC cycle, West Indies will look to convert their preparation and recent progress into results. A strong finish could improve their position in the standings while also helping the players strengthen their financial prospects through on-field performances. (ANI)