The historic unique test between Afghanistan and New Zealand at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida was deemed unplayable for the third consecutive day due to incessant rain on Wednesday, September 11.
Not a single ball has been bowled so far, with the outfield still waterlogged and unable to host the Afghanistan vs New Zealand test at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex.
The match was scheduled to begin on September 9 but the disgraceful state of the outfield forced match officials to cancel the first two days of play in Greater Noida.
The outdoor pitch is not yet ready to host the match due to the continuous rains over the past two weeks and now the third round match has also been abandoned.
Rain-soaked Greater Noida pitch leaves Afghanistan vs New Zealand match on the verge of abandonment
This place was selected for convenience in Delhi but now it has become the worst situation.
Being the first test held at this venue, it faced harsh criticism from the first day due to the lack of drainage systems, which could not withstand the weight of the overflow.
The situation has now reached such a critical point that there are very real fears that the one-off Test match could be abandoned altogether, which would make it only the eighth Test match in cricket history to be called off without a single toss.
With more rain forecast, the chances of the one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand being abandoned are growing ever higher after the third day was abandoned without even a toss on Wednesday.
ACB reveals why it chose Greater Noida as the venue for the AFG vs NZ Test match
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had opted for Greater Noida as the venue for the match to ease the logistics of travelling from Kabul to Delhi, but that is proving to be a major setback.
The ACB had previously ruled out the possibility of moving the match to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the heat there is extreme and there is no viable alternative for the match.
The match was still undecided and the future of the game was precariously at stake at that point.
The ACB said: “It is important to understand that the Future Tours Programme (FTP) is normally planned five years in advance, making it almost impossible to predict future circumstances with complete certainty.”
Meanwhile, Menhajuddin Raz, the CBA’s director of international cricket, was quoted by Reuters: “If it rains like this, no venue will be able to host a match.”
This is not the news we wanted to share! 😕
Heavy overnight rain and constant drizzle resulted in the third day of the One-Off #AFGvNZ The test is being cancelled. Authorities will reassess conditions tomorrow morning.#AfghanAtalan | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam image.twitter.com/UOUR4oc2zx
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) September 11, 2024
On the other hand, live images showed that rain was falling on the ground and that most of the field was covered. However, there are some spots that are not covered, and that has caused large puddles to appear on the field.
More rain is forecast for Wednesday and the coming days, which is certainly disappointing news for players on both teams and fans.
