New Zealand and Afghanistan coaches in press conference© AFP
Disappointed and frustrated after rain forced their one-off Test to be abandoned without any play, head coaches of Afghanistan and New Zealand on Friday said only inclement weather was to be blamed for the fiasco as scheduling a match during monsoon season is "always tricky". A wet outfield and persistent rain played spoilsport and authorities at the ill-equipped Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex were at their wits' end to make the field suitable for play. It was only the eight instance of a Test being abandoned without any action.
"We were very excited to play against New Zealand and put ourselves up against the challenge of that," Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said at a joint press conference with his New Zealand counterpart Gary Stead.
"Unfortunately, the weather has played its part and it's made it difficult for us to get a game and we're very disappointed. To try and play a Test match at this time of year (monsoon) is always tricky.
"(In terms of facilities) obviously disappointed that we haven't been able to play as the amount of water that's come down is unprecedented for this time of year," he added.
Stead said the BlackCaps were also frustrated as they were looking at this fixture as a preparation for the upcoming World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka and India.
"It's frustrating for us. It was our first Test against Afghanistan and we were really excited about that as well. They've been great competitors of ours over the last few World Cups as well."
New Zealand fly out to Sri Lanka on Saturday for a two-match Test series, starting in Galle on September 18.
"For us, we have the World Test Championship just around the corner in Sri Lanka as well. So, the preparation towards that would have been really useful for us as well," he said.
"So, the most disappointing part for us is that we've lost that ability to be match-hardened and match-ready when we go into our Test match next week," Stead lamented.
The 52-year-old added that the defending WTC champions are looking to qualify for a second final.
"The World Test Championship is alive and well and we're currently in third place, and we want to make the finals again. We've been there once in the past, and we're desperate to get there again.
"So every Test match we play will be an important one," he said.
The WTC table is currently led by India followed by Australia. After their Asian tour, the Kiwis will host England for a three-Test series.
"The conditions that we face in Galle will be, I'm sure, different to Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai when we come back here again. So, it's still about adapting to the different surfaces," Stead said referring to the three-Test rubber against India next month.
Despite bright sunshine on the opening two days, no play was possible as the umpires cited players safety as a concern owing to the poor condition of the outfield.
"It's worth noting I think it's been 1200 millimeters of rain in the last week and even though it was fine for those two days, there were thunderstorms the nights before and the ground was just too soft and the umpires deemed that unfit to play on," Stead said.
Asked if a white-ball game was discussed as a replacement, Trott said that at one point, they were considering some options.
"There were a few things discussed, but we looked at the ground today, and it was never really going to be attainable, unfortunately.
"The other thing is you've got to make sure that there's obviously a huge desire to play cricket but you've got to take into account the safety of the players, because New Zealand have got a huge tour coming up," Trott said.
Ahead of the Test, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi had called for a dedicated home venue for his side and Trott reiterated the skipper's views.
"If you have one fixed venue, then you can iron out the issues that arise. That's always nice. But I think this is maybe a result of not having played a lot of Test cricket in the past and still trying to find a venue that we can use consistently," he said.
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