Afghanistan’s one-off Test against New Zealand became just the eighth match in the format’s history to be abandoned without a ball being bowled after rain washed out the fifth and final day in the Greater Noida region on Friday.
The first-ever Test scheduled between the sides looked doomed from the start due to steady rain for more than two weeks in the region. It was also the first Test to be scheduled at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex near Delhi. The first two days were cancelled because of a wet outfield, raising significant concerns about the preparedness of the venue.
Afghanistan play their home matches abroad due to security concerns for touring teams.
The Afghan Board preferred Greater Noida over two other venues in India because of its proximity to Delhi, which made travelling from Kabul easier.
“We’re disappointed. We’d geared ourselves up, and we’d trained really well,” Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott told reporters.
“I hope it is a good learning case that things can crop up... everything has got to
be checked out and made
sure that it’s ready for Test-match cricket.
“I think the ground staff have worked, obviously, very hard here. It just unfortunately hasn’t materialised, and we’ve had a freakish amount of rain for this time of year.”
New Zealand coach Gary Stead was frustrated after they were denied an opportunity to get used to the subcontinent’s conditions ahead of a busy schedule that includes five more Tests in Asia in the next two months.
“The most disappointing part for us is that we lost the opportunity to be match-hardened and match-ready when we go into our Test match (against Sri Lanka) next week,” Stead said.
“The guys are really disappointed. It was an opportunity to play Afghanistan. It doesn’t come around that often.”
New Zealand will fly to Sri Lanka on Saturday for a two-Test series in Galle from September 18.
The last time a Test was abandoned without a ball being bowled was almost 26 years ago, in 1998.
Incidentally, it was also a match involving New Zealand. 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.
