A cracker in the making?

There was a lot of speculation about the nature of the wicket at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) leading up to the first Test between Bangladesh and West Indies.

Generally speaking there are two broad types of wickets at the ZACS. For most of its first decade, when a draw was all Bangladesh could hope for, the port city's premier venue sported slow and low wickets with lots of runs for batsmen and toil for bowlers. Then the second type of wicket made an appearance in the 2016 Test against England, when Bangladesh had enough faith in their spinners to ask for a truly spinning wicket.

After a reversion to the old style against Sri Lanka earlier this year, there was plenty of evidence yesterday -- not least Bangladesh picking four specialist spinners and West Indies just two pacers -- that the excitement of 2016 was back.

"This one spins, and the ball keeps low, and it also suddenly spins a lot," said Bangladesh centurion Mominul Haque after the first day's play. Bangladesh tailenders Taijul Islam and debutant Nayeem Hasan took the team to 315 for eight with an unbroken 56-run ninth-wicket stand.

"I think the tailenders batting well was very vital. Maybe if we win, that will be the reason."

West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican also thought that the momentum resided with Bangladesh.

"It is very good for batting but assists the spinners. The ball is coming on well for the batsmen, but the bounce is inconsistent. It is going to be a challenge as the wicket is turning from day one. It will become more difficult," he said.

Like in 2016, there was grass cover on the wicket in the lead-up, which means that instead of a crumbling wicket, the pitch may hold together for five days. If that is the case and West Indies can challenge Bangladesh's total, a cracker may be in store.