The opening day of the inaugural Test match at Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground was called off due to a damp outfield. Despite clear skies and sunny weather, poor drainage prevented the field from drying fully, forcing New Zealand and Afghanistan to delay the start of their historic first Test encounter by at least another day.
In the days leading up to the match, heavy rains had left the outfield soaked, with chief curator Amit Sharma highlighting the difficulty of keeping the playing surface in good condition if the wet weather persisted. Although Monday saw no rain and super-soppers were employed, persistent wet spots on the outfield and bowlers’ run-up areas raised safety concerns.
Several inspections were conducted throughout the day, with the final one set for 4:30 pm local time. However, the decision to abandon the day’s play was made earlier, at 4:05 pm. The toss has now been scheduled for 9 am tomorrow, with the remaining four days extended to 98 overs per day, beginning at 9:30 am instead of the usual 10 am.
While this match isn’t part of the World Test Championship, it provides New Zealand valuable time to adapt to subcontinental conditions ahead of their upcoming series against Sri Lanka and India. For Afghanistan, this is their third one-off Test of the year as they search for their first Test victory since 2021.