In a rare event in cricket history, the only Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Greater Noida was cancelled without a single ball being bowled. The match, which was scheduled to take place over five days, was completely washed out due to continuous rain and a wet outfield. This became the first-ever Test match in Asia where no play occurred across the entire duration.
No Toss, No Play, But a Unique Record
The rain began before the toss and didn’t stop, leaving the outfield too wet for play. As a result, the match was called off without any action on the field. This incident created a unique record in India as it was the first Test match in the country to be cancelled without a ball being bowled. In the history of Test cricket, only seven other matches worldwide have seen a similar fate.
Questions Raised About Ground Preparation
The fact that no play was possible for five days has raised concerns about the preparation of the Greater Noida Stadium to host international matches. The wet outfield on the first two days made it clear that the ground was not in the best condition to handle such an event. Afghanistan, the host for the match, missed out on a rare opportunity to face a top cricket team like New Zealand.
Afghanistan’s Rare Test Match
This match was supposed to be Afghanistan’s 10th Test match since receiving Test status from the ICC in 2017. However, this Test was not part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle, meaning it didn’t impact the rankings. Despite the cancellation, Afghanistan will look forward to future opportunities to play against stronger cricketing nations.
Other Cancelled Matches in Test History
Before this, seven other Test matches in cricket history were cancelled due to weather. The last time this happened was in 1998 during a Test match between India and New Zealand in Dunedin, which was also cancelled due to rain. This makes the AFG vs NZ match a rare occurrence in the history of the game.
