Rain refused to relent for a second successive day in Greater Noida, forcing abandonment of play well before lunchtime to leave the first-ever Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand staring at the prospect of a washout without a ball being bowled.

AFG Vs NZ, One-Off Test Day 4: Abandoned Due To Rain

The covers, across most of the ground, were drenched from overnight rain and leaked water onto the outfield. Both teams remained holed up in their hotels as the game was abandoned at 9:15 am, with the toss still to be held.

“The fourth day of the only Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand teams is also not going to be played due to continued rainfall,” the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said in a statement.

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“The decision about the start of the game tomorrow morning at 8:00 will be made after the stadium assessment,” the ACB added.

Tests That Were Abandoned Without Even Starting Due To Rain

Over the past decade, there have been instances where the play wasn’t possible at all due to rain. These include:

India vs South Africa in Bengaluru, 2015

Bangladesh vs South Africa in Dhaka 2015

West Indies vs India in Port of Spain, 2016

Seven Tests have been abandoned without a ball bowled historically, with the last one coming back in 1998 between India and New Zealand in Dunedin.

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This Test is Afghanistan’s 10th since obtaining Full Member status in 2017. For New Zealand, this is the beginning of their subcontinent tour where they also play two Tests in Sri Lanka and three in India. This game, though is not part of the World Test Championship unlike those to be staged in Sri Lanka and India.