Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test: Muddy outfield forces early call-off on Day 2 despite sunny conditions

For the second successive day, play in the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was called off because of the muddy outfield at the Greater Noida Sports Complex.

Despite it remaining sunny throughout the scheduled second day of the game, not a single ball has been bowled and match referee Javagal Srinath called off the day’s play at 3 pm, after the second inspection of the day.

There have been questions asked about the choice of venue and its timing, given that it’s the monsoon season and the ground, which has been awarded its first Test match, has mostly hosted only corporate games. It also lacks several basic infrastructural equipment, like super-soppers and proper covers to protect the ground from moisture.

Day 2 Abandoned! 😕

Day 2 of the one-off #AFGvNZ Test has officially been called off. Despite multiple efforts to dry the surface, the outfield remained unfit for play.#AfghanAtalan | #AFGvNZ | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/IB1GpKOZhw

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) September 10, 2024

However, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), which is the official host for the game, said their decision to play at the Greater Noida Sports Complex was prompted by logistical concerns.

“The BCCI offered us three venues – Kanpur, Bengaluru, and this one. We chose to play at Greater Noida as it was most convenient in terms of logistics. It was a two-hour drive from Delhi airport,” said ACB’s international cricket manager Menhajuddin Raz told reporters.

“This venue has always been Afghanistan’s home. We have been playing games here since 2016. We have also hosted Zimbabwe and Ireland, two Test-playing nations here.”

Former BCCI treasurer and IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said it was up to ACB to decide where they wanted their team to play.

“It was up to them. They wanted Kanpur, but we are hosting a Test match there, so that was not possible. Bengaluru was not logistically feasible for the ACB. We have two stadiums in Mohali as well, but again logistics was the issue. They had to take another flight to Chandigarh. For them, playing in Delhi- NCR was more suitable and since they had played at the venue before as well, the ACB opted to play at the Greater Noida Sports Complex,” Dhumal told The Indian Express.

An ACB member had told this newspaper on the eve of the Test that the Greater Noida Sports Complex Stadium was not their first choice for this match. “Stadia in Afghanistan have better facilities than this one.”

However, ACB officials on Tuesday blamed the incessant rain for playing spoilsport.

“We had conducted a recce four to six months back, and even the visiting team had done its recce. So there was no issue. The standard checklist was healthy, and everything was fine. It is because of the rain. Yesterday also, it rained heavily. We had a three-day game here with one of the local teams which went well. We didn’t face any issues. But when the rain started, all of this happened,” said Raz.

“It’s no one’s fault. It’s just something which is uncontrollable. And if we can’t control anything, we will just try hard to work things out. There’s no one to blame here. Rain cannot be controlled,” he added.

Ground staffers put grass patches on the ground before the start of the second day of one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, in Greater Noida, Tuesday, Sept 10, 2024. The first day of the test was washed out. (PTI Photo)

Akbar Muhammad Paktian, ACB’s commercial head, said they wanted to shift the venue at the last moment, but were told it wouldn’t be easy to prepare a pitch in the monsoon season at such short notice.

“We tried shifting the game. We reached out to a few nearby venues but they all said that because of the rainy season, they will not be able to prepare the venue in 24 hours,” he said.

Fans out again

In a desperate attempt, the groundsmen came up with different ideas, but none worked. Electric fans were out again in an attempt to dry the wettest patches. Sawdust and sandbags were put on the run-up areas at both ends.

On the opening day, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead and captain Tim Southee had pointed to an outfield area at the mid-wicket region, which was muddy.

The groundstaff brought a block of dry grass from the practice nets to “transplant” it to the soaked region. Ground staff dug up one wet outfield area in the midwicket region, refilling it with dry soil and laying fresh turf.

No coin toss or play possible on day two in Noida due to the wet outfield following overnight rain #AFGvNZ pic.twitter.com/VlYOff5MTw

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) September 10, 2024

Cautious Kiwis had field day

The teams stayed at their hotels on Tuesday morning but New Zealand players, who were unable to complete any of their training sessions ahead of the Test, later put up nets on the ground and went through their drills.

Kane Williamson was the star of the show as groundsmen, after a long day trying to dry the venue with different methods, flanked him for selfies.

Matt Henry received the loudest cheer from the sparse crowd that had waited patiently, after he cleaned up teammate Tom Latham twice. Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel was working with former Sri Lanka left-arm tweaker Rangana Herath, who has joined New Zealand’s coaching staff as spin-bowling coach for the three Tests – one against Afghanistan and two in Sri Lanka.

New Zealand managed to have a full training session but the moment the team left the stadium, it started pouring down again and chances are high that Day 3 will also be affected.

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