Noida rain forces AFG vs NZ 1st Test abandoned in 26 years

The one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand has been abandoned without a ball being bowled at the Greater Noida Sports Ground Complex. However, This became only the 8th Test in the history of cricket to be abandoned this way. This match became the first Test in the 21st century to be abandoned due to rain in Asia as well. It was another day and the same thing happened as the persistent rains didn't allow Afghanistan and New Zealand to play against each other for the very first time.

The AFG vs NZ Test becomes the 8th Test in the history of cricket to be abandoned without a ball being bowled

Day 1 of the Test match was abandoned by heavy rain in the Delhi NCR region, which didn't allow them to take the field. The next day also witnessed a poor outfield with the ground staff taking out the grass from practice pitches to use on the main field and prepare for the game. However, the poor drainage facilities at the venue further added to the woes as umpires declared the ground as unfit for the match. The poor facilities, along with the bad weather, led to the game eventually getting called off as well.

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In an official announcement, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said, "It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rain, the 5th and final day of the Afghanistan vs New Zealand has also been called off by the match officials."

BCCI offered three venues to Afghanistan

However, this was only the 8th instance of a complete abandonment of a Test match. The first three took place between Australia and England in the Ashes in 1890, 1938 and 1970. The other four incidents happened between 1989 and 1998 as well.

However, the ACB informed that the BCCI offered three venues to them, which also included Dehradun, Kanpur and Greater Noida. Looking at the connectivity between Kabul and Delhi, the Afghanistan Cricket Board picked Greater Noida because it is near to Delhi as well. The Afghans will move to the UAE to host South Africa for a three-match ODI series now, starting next week. Meanwhile, New Zealand will travel to Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series before they return to India for a three-match Test series in October as well.