New Delhi: The Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, held at Greater Noida, faced further disruptions on Tuesday as rain-soaked conditions once again delayed the start of play. In a desperate attempt to dry the pitch, ground staff resorted to using electric fans, but despite their best efforts, the match was called off for a second consecutive day. The ongoing rain and poor ground conditions have left the match in disarray, with one official describing the situation as a huge mess.Maintainance staff strugglesWith the Greater Noida stadium serving as Afghanistans adopted home, the one-off Test against New Zealand was set to begin on Monday. However, persistent rain and a waterlogged outfield prevented the toss from taking place. On Tuesday, as the sun briefly shone, ground staff took extreme measures to dry the pitch, using electric fans and tarpaulin covers over wet areas. In addition, they dug up soaked patches at cover-point and mid-wicket, filling them with dry soil and fresh turf in a last-ditch effort to improve the playing surface.Now the fans are out at the other side of the wicket. #AFGvNZ pic.twitter.com/gsDi5idyWa— Daya sagar (@sagarqinare) September 10, 2024Despite these efforts, umpires made repeated inspections throughout the day and ultimately called off play by mid-afternoon, leaving both teams stranded without any progress.First test venues under scrutinyThe Greater Noida venue, hosting its first-ever Test match, has come under criticism for its lack of adequate drainage and overall facilities. Despite sunshine on Tuesday, the outfield remained unplayable after heavy monsoon rains, and Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) officials expressed disappointment with the situation. An ACB official told reporters, This is a huge mess. We are never coming back here.Afghanistan team unhappy with facilities in Greater Noidas stadium, say we will never come here again.So these are the facilities that so called richest board is giving to their lovely afghans 🤫😂😂#AFGvNZ #NZvAFG #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/f0nWjyQD6A— Eitezaz Raheel (@MuhammadEitezaz) September 10, 2024While Afghanistan has hosted several T20 and ODI matches at the venue since 2017, it appears the ground was ill-prepared for a Test of this magnitude. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had offered Afghanistan other venues, such as Lucknow and Dehradun, but they were unavailable due to local league matches.
