The third days action between Afghanistan and New Zealand was called off at the Greater Noida Sports Complex ground a little after 9 am on Wednesday following persistent rain and overnight showers

A damp outfield was the primary reason for the first two days of the one-off Test to be abandoned though there was no significant downpour

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said in a statement that the BCCI has been assisting them by providing "additional machinery" to make "conditions ideal" for the match to start

The outfield is not sandbased, so rain takes longer to dissipate from the surface and for the ground to dry at the venue. The BCCI made some last-minute effort by arranging for the Kotla curator, Ankit Dutta, to travel from Delhi and assist the groundsmen at Greater Noida

An extra super sopper was also arranged, but that didn t make any difference. The ACB also told the media that they tried to move the Test to another venue, but at such a short notice, it was not possible

The ACB, the home team for this match, was offered stadiums in Kanpur and Bengaluru but they chose the one at Greater Noida due to logistical reasons

"It was a two-hour drive from Delhi airport," ACB s international cricket manager Menhajuddin Raz said on Tuesday

The manager sent out a message to the media on the third morning that "there is no blame game at all from anyone, it s just extremely bad luck"

The BCCI though cannot wash its hands off since it was their decision to offer Greater Noida as an option to the ACB. A venue which meets international standards like the PCA Stadium in Mohali or the newly-built Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, which hosted IPL matches this year, could have been offered as options instead

At a time when Test cricket is threatened by the onset of the T20 format and franchise leagues, this has hardly been the right way to promote the game. It is bound to send the wrong signals when it comes to improving the popularity of Test matches

Only a small part of the ground at Greater Noida could be protected from bad weather -- the main square, along with some adjoining areas -- and lack of adequate covers aggravated the underfoot conditions

Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran slipped during practice on the eve of the match, twisted his ankle and was ruled out of the Test. Thankfully, the ACB doesn t wish to complain against such sub-standard facilities especially keeping the greater picture in mind

"Look, the venue is an international standard venue," Raz had said after the second day. "It has hosted around 12 (11) games internationally. It s not like it s a new venue. It s just the rain which has affected everything. And that s the only reason we re not having a game..."

This Test is not part of the ICC s World Test Championship. The ICC doesn t need to get involved directly other than appointing match officials though match referee Javagal Srinath s report could decide the fate of the venue.

The outfield looks less than promising heading into the fourth day though both teams will be hoping to get some match practice, particularly New Zealand who are due to play back-to-back Tests in the subcontinent -- against Sri Lanka in September and then India in October.