A photo of the Greater Noida venue© AFP
Friday is the last day for the Afghanistan vs New Zealand one-off Test in Greater Noida, but wait continues for the first ball of the game to be bowled. Poor facilities and inclement weather has meant that the match is likely to be called off without a ball being bowled. If indeed it happens, it will be the first time on Indian soild that a Test match would be abandoned without a ball being bowled. The first time India hosted a Test match was in 1933.
So, it will be the first time in 91 years that a Test match on Indian soil would be called off without a ball being bowled. In Asia, before this, only one match has been called off without a ball being bowled. It happened in 1998 in a match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Faisalabad. Overall, only seven Tests have been abandoned without a ball being bowled across the world.
"The fourth day of the only Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand teams is also not going to be played due to continued rainfall," the Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement on Thursday.
It said that the decision about the start of the game on Friday morning at 8:00 will be made after the stadium assessment.
The city had witnessed relentless rains over the last week and the first two days were disrupted due to a damp outfield caused by poor drainage system at the ground. Then, rain intervened on day three and four to force an early abandonment of the play.
ACB had previously said they were offered Kanpur and Bengaluru to host this Test, but they chose the venue in Greater Noida due to other two venues being used for BCCI matches (upcoming India-Bangladesh second Test and recently-concluded Duleep Trophy round one).
The current Test is not part of the World Test Championship but the Kiwis have the opportunity to acclimatise to subcontinental conditions ahead of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka and India in the coming months.
On the other hand, Afghanistan, who have played two one-off Tests against Sri Lanka and Ireland earlier this year, are in search of their first red-ball win since 2021.