Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s HIGHLIGHTS of the second day of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand, being held at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida.
DAY 2 UPDATES
So, day 2’s action has also been called off as the outfield remains damp. We head into the third day, without even the toss being held. Poor optics for Test cricket, and also for the game, in general.
Guess what? Another inspection is due at 3 PM IST and there is very little possibility of any play happening today. The teams are reportedly still in their hotel rooms.
The next inspection is at 12 PM IST, but the signs from the venue are not very promising.
The situation is becoming increasingly frustrating for both fans and players. No rain for a second consecutive day but the toss still hasn’t taken place. The outfield has been dug up and now fans are also being used to dry it up.
DAY 1 REPORT: NO PLAY BUT PLENTY OF DRAMA
It did not rain throughout Monday, but even then, the opening day’s play of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand had to be called off without a ball being bowled due to a wet and soggy outfield.
Even though it was cloudy in the morning, the weather cleared as the day progressed and eventually the sun was out. But the ground staff at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium cut a sorry figure as they failed to get the ground ready in time, thus prompting the match referee to call off the day’s play at around 4 PM IST.
The stadium, which is managed by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, lacks modern facilities and even manpower and that was evident as the groundstaff struggled to get things sorted, making it an endless wait for both the teams.
Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Rachin Ravindra had a look at the surface, but they did not look too satisfied with the dampness near the mid-on area. Even though the rollers were brought in and saw dust was put across the area, things did not improve.
While it was a test of patience for the players, things were no different for the media and a few thousand spectators who had turned up. There was miscommunication between the stadium authorities and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), as the venue lacked basic facilities - including supply of drinking water and toilets. At one point, the ACB’s official photographer had to step in and distribute packed lunch boxes to the media.
However, the ACB officials hope that things will improve over the remaining four days.
“We had laid out a plan and shared it with the stadium authorities well in advance, but things were in a mess. But we have taken things under our control and hopefully, there will be no such problems going forward,” a source in the ACB said.
Hosting its first international fixture since March 2020, the Greater Noida stadium once again drew flak for its poor infrastructure and if sources are to be believed, the ACB is likely to request the BCCI for a different home venue, going forward.
- Shayan Acharya
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