NZ captain Tim Southee and Afg captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.© AFP
No play was possible on the opening day of the one-off Test between New Zealand and Afghanistan due to a wet outfield here on Monday. The match officials conducted multiple inspections through the day but the conditions were not fit enough for players to take the field. There was no rain on Monday but the ground, lacking a modern drainage system, has has been impacted by heavy rain through the last week. With rain and thunderstorms forecast throughout the week, it is yet to be found out how many days of the Test is impacted.
This is the first-ever Test between New Zealand against Afghanistan, who got their Test status in 2017.
Afghanistan, who have played 10 Tests so far, have endured defeats in their last three matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ireland.
For New Zealand, this will be their first Test since March and it will kick off a busy couple of months in the subcontinent ending with a three-Test series against India in October-November.