The much-anticipated one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground continues to face severe disruptions, as rain and poor field conditions wiped out the third day’s play. The umpires, Sharfuddoula and Kumar Dharmasena, decided to abandon the day’s proceedings as early as 9:15 am, with no chance of action.
Neither of the first two days saw any play, and with the toss yet to take place, hopes for a decisive outcome in the historic first Test between the two sides have significantly diminished.
The downpour, which began the previous evening and lasted for a couple of hours, was followed by further rainfall early Wednesday morning. This left the umpires with little choice but to call off the day before the scheduled 9:30 am start.
Broadcast reports painted a bleak picture, suggesting that not only was the day lost, but the entire five-day Test might be at risk due to persistent poor weather conditions.
There has been some criticism over the selection of the venue, particularly its ability to handle inclement weather. However, Afghanistan Cricket Board’s cricket manager, Menhajuddin Raz, clarified on the third day that "no one is pointing fingers; it's just an unfortunate turn of events."
This is not the first time a Test match has been heavily affected by weather. The last time the first three days of a Test were abandoned was back in 2008, during a match between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Mirpur. Similarly, in 2016, New Zealand faced a similar situation against South Africa in Durban. This Test in Greater Noida may join a list of seven others that never saw a ball bowled, with the last such instance occurring in 1998.
For Afghanistan, this marks only their tenth Test since being granted Test status in 2017. On the other hand, for New Zealand, this game serves as the kickoff to their subcontinental tour, which will see them play two Tests in Sri Lanka and three in India. Unlike those future matches, this Test is not part of the World Test Championship.