The one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh has been called off without a ball being bowled as continuous rain on Day 5 made the game abandonment inevitable. This was supposed to be the first-ever Test match between the two, but unfavorable weather conditions have made Greater Noida's Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium not available for this Test match.
First Time Since 1929
“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,” read an official statement.
This will be the first time since 1929 that no play has caused the abandonment of a Test match in India. There has been only one instance in Asia where a Test got called off without a ball bowled, between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Faisalabad, in 1998. Only seven Test matches in the history of the game have been abandoned without a single ball bowled.
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The Last Match That Was Abandoned Was Between NZ And IND In Dunedin
The most recent example of a Test completely washed out occurred in December 1998, between New Zealand and India in Dunedin.
Ironically, it was the abandoned Test between Australia and England in Melbourne in 1970 that gave birth to one-day international cricket. When the weather did clear on the fifth day, the two teams decided to play an offer of 40 eight-ball overs each, which was subsequently ratified as the first ODI.
Poor Management At Greater Noida Stadium
Although reports of mismanagement at the venue have surfaced, officials have denied any wrongdoings at this end. The poor covers and drainage system were the notable challenges which denied the groundsman all opportunity to prepare the field once rain had stopped on Day 2.
“The BCCI offered us three venues – Kanpur, Bengaluru, and this one. We chose to play at Greater Noida as it was most convenient in terms of logistics. It was a two-hour drive from Delhi airport,” said Afghanistan Cricket Board’s international cricket manager Menhajuddin Raz told reporters.
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Wet areas were covered by removing turf from the areas behind the sightscreen and practice zones. The whole event has also raised further questions on the choice of venue made by Afghanistan as the venue is more or less a corporate event place, lacking basic infrastructure for rainy conditions including the basic necessity that's proper covers.