Rain overshadowed concerns about the outfield on Day 3 of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground. Umpires called off play early at 9:15 am local time after the first two days were abandoned, leaving slim chances for a result in this historic Test between the teams.
A heavy downpour lasting two to three hours hit the venue on Tuesday evening, followed by another spell of rain from 7 am on Wednesday. This led umpires Sharfuddoula and Kumar Dharmasena to cancel the day’s play even before the scheduled 9:30 am start. The broadcast team hinted that “the outlook is quite grim for not just today, but potentially all five days of the Test match.”
The venue choice has come under scrutiny due to its slow recovery from bad weather. However, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) manager Menhajuddin Raz downplayed the issue, calling it “extremely bad luck,” echoing his comments from the previous day’s media interaction.
New Zealand and Bangladesh saw the first three days of a Test abandoned in 2008 at Mirpur. In 2016, New Zealand faced a similar situation, losing three or more days against South Africa in Durban. With the toss yet to happen, the Greater Noida Test could join the list of seven Tests abandoned without a ball bowled, the most recent instance being in 1998.
For Afghanistan, this marks their tenth Test in six years, still without a draw. New Zealand’s subcontinent tour continues with two Tests in Sri Lanka and three in India, though this match is not part of the World Test Championship.
