The Greater Noida venue could not host the 1st two days of Afghanistan vs NZ match.© AFP
The Afghanistan vs New Zealand one-off Test has been garnering negative publicity. The first two days of the match could not be held due to wet outfield at Greater Noida Sports Complex. On Tuesday, multiple inspections were held throughout the day before play was finally called off around 3:04 pm. Like Day 1, there was no rain on the second day of the Test, but the city witnessed some overnight downpours. Many electrical fans were brought in and kept face-down to dry the wet patch of the outfield. But the umpires felt the surface was not safe enough to play.
The New Zealand players reached the ground at 1 pm and had a net session on the strip, beside the main pitch.
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.
In the midst of this, a report in India Today claimed that the facilities in the stadium were so bad that a member of the catering team was seen washing utensils in the washroom, near an urinal. The report also carried photos of the incident. The lack of modern facilities was quite appalling said the report.
The game, the first between the two nations, was scheduled to begin on Monday but no play was possible as the umpires cited "players safety" as a concern.
While there was no rain throughout the day, it rained for about an hour in evening, affecting the start of play on Tuesday, which was scheduled to happen half an earlier than the original 10am.
While the skies remained clear on Tuesday, the field remained unsuitable for play.
The mid-on and midwicket area remained a cause of concern as the groundsmen were bringing in dry patches of grass from the practice area.
Additionally, three table fans were used to dry patches of grass.
Umpires have already conducted two inspections with the next one set for 3pm local time.
With PTI and IANS inputs