Relentless Rain Washes Out Historic Afghanistan-New Zealand Test

Persistent rain in Greater Noida has once again halted play, with the scheduled start for the fourth day of the Afghanistan vs. New Zealand Test called off without a ball being bowled. This marks the second consecutive day of no action, leaving the historic Test match on the verge of a complete washout.

A broadcaster reported that over 1200 mm of rain had fallen in the past week, making conditions unplayable. They noted, "The scale of rainfall has made it absolutely impossible to play cricket today. We will return on day five just in case, but realistically, there's no chance of play. An early abandonment tomorrow is inevitable."

The field remained waterlogged, with drenched covers spread across most of the ground. Water had overflowed onto the outfield, creating puddles, and players from both teams stayed in their hotels. The scene mirrored that of the previous day when play was also abandoned at 9:15 a.m. without the toss taking place.

In the last decade, there have been three instances where four days of play were abandoned—India vs. South Africa in Bengaluru (2015), Bangladesh vs. South Africa in Dhaka (2015), and West Indies vs. India in Port of Spain (2016). There have also been seven Tests in men's cricket history abandoned without a ball bowled, the most recent occurring in 1998 between India and New Zealand in Dunedin.

For Afghanistan, this was supposed to be their 10th Test since gaining Full Member status in 2017. Meanwhile, this one-off Test was meant to kick off New Zealand's subcontinent tour, which includes two Tests in Sri Lanka and three in India. However, unlike those matches, this Test is not part of the World Test Championship.