The third day of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground was called off due to rain and a poor outfield. Play was abandoned early at 9.15 am. This continues the pattern of no play on any of the first two days, making a result in this historic first-ever Test between the two sides highly unlikely.
Heavy rain the previous evening, lasting for about two to three hours, followed by another downpour around 7 am on Wednesday morning, left the ground in poor condition. Umpires Sharfuddoula and Kumar Dharmasena inspected the field and called off the day’s play before the scheduled 9.30 am start.
Broadcasters hinted that the outlook for the remaining days of the match was not promising, with conditions likely to affect all five days. There has been criticism regarding the venue’s ability to recover from bad weather. However, Afghanistan Cricket Board manager Menhajuddin Raz dismissed the idea of placing blame, calling the situation a case of “extremely bad luck.”
The last time the first three days of a Test match were abandoned was in 2008, when Bangladesh hosted New Zealand in Mirpur. The most recent Test to lose three or more days was in 2016, when New Zealand played South Africa in Durban. If this Test continues to suffer washouts, it could become one of only eight matches in history to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
This match is Afghanistan’s tenth since gaining Test status in 2017. This signifies the beginning of New Zealand’s tour of the subcontinent, which consists of two Test matches in Sri Lanka and three in India. Unlike those upcoming fixtures, this Test does not count toward the World Test Championship.
