The inevitable has happened. The only Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand has been abandoned in Greater Noida due to persistent rains in Delhi-NCR for the last three days. The AFG vs NZ Test became only the eighth such match in history to be abandoned without a ball being bowled on all five days. There was the possibility of play on the first couple of days, especially with the sun shining, however, a poor drainage system meant that even the toss didn't take place due to the wet outfield and the rain in the next three days almost made the play impossible.
"It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rains, the 5th and final day of Afghanistan vs New Zealand test has been also called off by the match officials," the official statement from Afghanistan Cricket Board read.
"The one-off Test against Afghanistan has officially been called off early on day five following further rain in Noida. The Test squad will relocate to Sri Lanka tomorrow ahead of the two-Test WTC series in Galle starting Wednesday, Sept 18," the Black Caps said in a statement on X (previously Twitter).
This is the first Test in the 21st century to be abandoned without a ball being bowled and only the second in Asia after the 1998 Test in Faisalabad. Questions have been raised on the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), the UPCA and the BCCI for picking Greater Noida as the venue for a Test match, with no basic facilities either for fans, media or the teams. The condition of the drainage facilities meant that the dry grass from practice grounds, fans, hair-dryers, sponges etc were used to dry the wet patches but continuous rain from Tuesday evening had the writing on the wall.
Test matches abandoned without a ball being bowled
- England vs Australia, Old Trafford (Manchester) in 1890
- England vs Australia, Old Trafford (Manchester) in 1938
- Australia vs England, Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1970
- New Zealand vs Pakistan, Carisbrook (Dunedin) in 1989
- West Indies vs England, Bourda (Georgetown) in 1990
- Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, Iqbal Stadium (Faisalabad) in 1998
- New Zealand vs India, Carisbrook (Dunedin) in 1998
- Afghanistan vs New Zealand, Greater Noida in 2024*
While Afghanistan will move to the UAE for a three-match ODI series against South Africa, New Zealand will travel to Sri Lanka for the two-match Test series in Galle, as part of the World Test Championship.
