Greater Noida Stadium may have hosted last int'l game; awaiting report

Match referee Javagal Srinath's report on the preparedness of Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports complex in Greater Noida will go a long way in deciding the fate of the venue which is under the scanner after the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand failed to get underway on successive days.

For once, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which often becomes the favourite whipping boy, isn't responsible for the mess. The 'home board' is the Afghanistan Cricket Board, which selected a familiar and cost-effective venue despite being offered the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and Green Park in Kanpur as options.

The BCCI isn't involved in this Test match. It was the Afghanistan Cricket Board's choice and the Greater Noida Authority was supposed to provide them with international standard facilities.

The BCCI hasn't hosted any of its domestic games here since 2019 (Vijay Hazare Trophy) and is unlikely to host one in near or distant future in these substandard ...