Afghanistan vs New Zealand One-off Test Abandoned Without a Ball Bowled

The one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) has been called off without a ball bowled after play on Day 5 was abandoned due to continuous rain. The contest was supposed to be the first ever meeting between the two teams in Test cricket but inclement weather has rendered the venue – Greater Noida’s Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium – unfit for play.

Also Read: Greater Noida Stadium Manager Dismisses Mismanagement Claims

“It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rains, the 5th and final day of Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test has been also called off by the match officials,” read an official statement.

The last time an entire Test was washed out was in December 1998 between New Zealand and India in Dunedin.

Interestingly, it was the abandoned Melbourne Test between Australia and England in 1970 that gave birth to one-day international cricket. The two teams in that contest decided to play a 40-over contest on the originally scheduled fifth day once the weather had relented, and it was later officially recognised as the first-ever ODI.

While their have been reports of mismanagement on the part of the venue, the officials have flatly rejected allegations. Insufficient covers, poor drainage system hindered the ground staff’s efforts to get the ground ready when the weather did clear up on Day 2 of the match.

The ground staff resorted to unusual methods – removing patches of turf from behind the sightscreen and practice areas and using them to replace the wet patches on the ground. Afghanistan’s choice of venue also came under scrutiny given that it mostly hosts corporate tournaments and lacks basic infrastructure to deal with rainy conditions including covers and super-soppers.

“The BCCI offered us three venues – Kanpur, Bengaluru, and this one. We chose to play at Greater Noida as it was most convenient in terms of logistics. It was a two-hour drive from Delhi airport,” said Afghanistan Cricket Board’s international cricket manager Menhajuddin Raz told reporters.