The first two days of the one-off Test between New Zealand and Afghanistan in Greater Noida had to be called off despite there not being a single drop of rain
The one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand is hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The match is to be hosted at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground but the first two days of the match was washed out despite there not being a drop of rain during the match itself. It was raining at the venue in the buildup to the match but there were no showers on Days 1 and 2 of itself.
According to PTI, there was poor communication and complete mismanagement between the stadium authority and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). “This is a huge mess, we are never coming back here. The players are also unhappy with the facilities here,” an ACB official is quoted as saying by the news agency.
An ACB official is also quoted as saying by the Indian Express that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had rejected its request of hosting the match in Lucknow or Dehradun. The Indian cricket board had instead reportedly offered the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and Green Park in Kanpur as options.
“Our first choice was the Lucknow stadium and the second was Dehradun. Our requests were rejected by the BCCI and we were told that both the states are hosting their respective T20 leagues. This was the only ground available and we had no other choice left,” the official is quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
“You won’t believe me but the stadia in Afghanistan have better facilities than this one. We have improved our infrastructure in the past few years but here as Shahidi has mentioned nothing has changed.”
Hashmatullah Shahidi expresses disappointment
While the ground staff worked hard to make the pitch fit to play on, poor drainage facilities meant that little could be done. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi expressed his disappointment with the facilities that were on offer for the match. “The facility is the same the way it was four years ago. Everything is the same, nothing has changed,” he had told reporters.