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The one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was called off on Friday after five days of rain, making it the eighth Test in history to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Afghanistan’s adopted home ground in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi has been hit by persistent rains for the past fortnight, forcing officials to call off the match without even holding the toss.
However, questions remained over the chosen venue, which was hosting its first ever test and had only basic drainage and facilities.
Despite some sunshine on the first and second days – and increasingly desperate ground staff using electric fans – the away pitch remained soaked.
Afghanistan, which has been a force in white-ball cricket and beat New Zealand in the T20 World Cup in June, is unable to host international matches due to the security situation in the country.
“Trying to play Test matches at this time of year is tricky,” Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott told reporters, referring to the Indian monsoon season.
“We are disappointed that we were unable to play and the amount of rain that fell is unprecedented for this time of year.”
New Zealand coach Gary Stead said they had been spending time in the gym and trying to have fun at their hotel.
“There’s a lot of cricket in the corridors of the hotel,” he said.
“What’s most disappointing for us is that we’ve lost that ability to be game-hardened and ready when we go into our test next week.”
Tim Southee’s side, who did not have a single training session due to the weather, will now travel to Sri Lanka for two Tests before returning for three more against India.
The last time a Test match was cancelled in its entirety was in December 1998 when New Zealand hosted India in Dunedin.
An abandoned Test match in 1970 between Australia and England in Melbourne gave birth to One Day International cricket.
The two teams in this competition decided to play a 40-overs match on the originally scheduled fifth day, once the weather improved, and it was later officially recognised as the first-ever ODI.
– Electric fans –
Unusual methods were deployed to dry the soil this week in Greater Noida with fans being used on wet areas which were also dug up and replaced with new mud and grass.
This tactic proved futile, as the incessant rain of the third, fourth and fifth days bombarded the ground, which was left covered in blankets and puddles.
Afghanistan has successfully hosted six Twenty20 tournaments and five One Day Internationals at this venue since 2017.
The country’s cricket board said it had again chosen Greater Noida over other options due to its proximity to Delhi airport.
Trott said the abandoned match underlined the need for Afghanistan to have a stable overseas venue for its home games.
“If you have a fixed location, you can solve problems that might arise,” Trott said.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has offered Afghanistan several venues to train and host matches outside their struggling nation.
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) officials have been cautious in their criticism of the Greater Noida ground, fearing it could sour relations with the BCCI.
Afghanistan have played nine previous Tests after gaining five-day status in 2017 and made a difficult start to 2018 when they lost their first match against India in two days.
They have improved over the years, winning three tests.
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