Afghanistan-New Zealand Test match called off before ball bowled

Greater Noida: Due to persistent rain in this area, the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was cancelled on Friday without a ball being bowled.

This is only the eighth time in the history of five-day games that a match has been abandoned in this way. It was the first time at an Indian site that a Test was called off without a single play.

The first two days of the game were cancelled because of a wet outfield, raising significant concerns about the preparedness of the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex. The remaining three days were then washed out due to persistent rain.

An inspection was held on Friday morning but with puddles still present on the uncovered parts of the outfield, it was a foregone conclusion that the match would be abandoned without even the toss taking place.

"It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rains, the 5th and final day of the Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test has been called off by the match officials," the Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement.

Only seven matches in the history of Test cricket have been abandoned without a ball being bowled dating back to 1890. The last time it happened was almost 26 years ago, in 1998.

Incidentally, it was a match involving the Kiwis. They were scheduled to play India in Dunedin, New Zealand but no action was possible due to inclement weather.

In the same year and on the same day, a Pakistan-Zimbabwe Test in Faisalabad was also called off without any play owing to thick winter fog.

There had been incessant rain here for the past two weeks and the lack of facilities, like proper ground covers to spread across the 30-yard circle, sub-par drainage, lack of trained ground staff and inadequate super-soppers, caused maximum damage.

Despite bright sunshine on the first two days, no play was possible as the umpires cited "players safety" as a concern.

The mid-wicket area was a particular concern. To address the issue, groundsmen brought in dry sections of grass from the practice area to "transplant" in the mid-wicket zone.

While the BCCI tried to assist by providing additional machinery and the Delhi Delhi & District Cricket Association and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association helping out, it was a little too late.

Afghanistan, who were granted their Test status in 2017 and have played only nine international red-ball games before this fixture, were the hosts.

It was the first time Afghanistan, who don't get to play too many Tests with big nations, was scheduled to take on New Zealand.

This fixture was, however, not a part of the ICC's World Test Championship cycle.

As for the stadium, match referee Javagal Srinath's report on the preparedness of the venue will go a long way in deciding its fate.

With PTI inputs