Day 3 of Afghanistan vs New Zealand match was abandoned© X (Twitter)
The historic Afghanistan vs New Zealand one-off Test in Greater Noida continues to paint new horror stories with every passing day. No play was possible for the first two days of the Test, despite minimal rain. Wet patches in the outfield made the ground unfit for play, prompting fans and experts to wonder if the selection of venue was right, considering the poor drainage and facilities. After a Tuesday was full of sunshine, hopes were up the match to start on Wednesday, but the weather gods poured cold water on the hopes early on Day 3.
The toss was scheduled to take place at 9:00 AM IST but early rain meant that the toss had been delayed. But, a big announcement emerged at 9:12 AM, 18 minutes before the scheduled start of the game, that the play on the third day had also been abandoned.
While drainage at the venue had already come under question, early rain meant that the situation at the ground had become worse than on Day 2. Hence, it was practically not possible to start the match, even if rain had stopped at that moment.
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) September 11, 2024
Considering the weather, the match officials did not take long to rule out any possibility of play on Wednesday.
"Afghanistan versus New Zealand Day 3 is called off due to persistent rains. The match will commence with 98 overs from tomorrow if the skies get clear," said the Afghanistan Cricket Board in a release.
Afghanistan, who don't get to play top teams often, are the hosts of the game. It was reported that the ACB were given a total of three options by the BCCI to host the match but they decided to proceed with Greater Noida, a decision that the board would probably be regretting now.
On Day 2, the ground staff even deployed portable fans, hoping to dry the wet patches. Dry grass was cut from the practice area of the ground, placed in place of wet patches, hoping for a quicker resolution, but all efforts went in vain.