HISTORY created in Greater Noida Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand, 1st Test match in 91 years…

The one-off Test at the Greater Noida Sports Complex between Afghanistan and New Zealand ended in ignominy and created an unwanted record on Friday (September 13). With the fifth and final day getting washed out without a ball being bowled, the Greater Noida one-off Test has become the first Test match in Asia to be completely abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled.

The last time an entire Test match was washed out by rain was in December 1998, when New Zealand hosted India in Dunedin. It should be remembered that the abandoned 1970 Test between Australia and England in Melbourne gave birth to ODI cricket. The Ashes rivals in that contest decided to play a 40-over match on the originally scheduled Day 5 once the weather had improved, and it was later officially recognised as the first-ever ODI match.

No such event could take place in Greater Noida on Friday as the weather hasn’t relented at all. There was overnight rain as well as rain in the early morning on the final day, which left the entire ground in the Greater Noida Sports Complex completely drenched.

“It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rains, the 5th and final day of Afghanistan vs New Zealand test has been also called off by the match officials,” an Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) statement read.

 

The highly anticipated #AFGvNZ Test match was called off without a ball being bowled due to persistent rains in Greater Noida.

While the inaugural #AFGvNZ Test didn’t proceed as expected, #AfghanAtalan look forward to engaging in more bilateral cricket with @BLACKCAPS in future. pic.twitter.com/zSVE5Hn2cF

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) September 13, 2024

Extraordinary measures were used to dry the ground this week at Greater Noida with electric fans used on wet patches, outfield being dug up and replaced with new mud and grass. The Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) sent their chief curator Ankit Dutta while the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) sent their super soppers to help in drying the ground over the last few days.

The venue has witnessed almost unrelenting rain over the past three days starting on Wednesday. But the first couple of days, when there was sunshine, the ground authorities were not able to get the outfield ready in time to start play.

Afghanistan have successfully played six T20 and five ODI matches at the Greater Noida venue since 2017. The Afghans had chosen this ground over venues like Kanpur and Bengaluru offered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to it’s proximity to the New Delhi international airport and its direct accesibility to flights from Kabul.

The ACB officials have been cautious about criticism, fearing it could spoil relations with the BCCI. Afghanistan have participated in nine prior Tests after getting five-day status in 2017 and made a bruising introduction in 2018 when they lost their debut match to India inside two days.

Tim Southee-led New Zealand, who did not complete a single training session due to the weather, will next travel to Sri Lanka for two Tests before returning for three more against India.