“Everything is the same, nothing has changed,” Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan’s captain, said with a wry smile when asked about his thoughts on returning to the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium after a four-year hiatus.
Shahidi did not mince his words, adding, “The facility is the same as it was four years ago…”
As he spoke in a cramped conference room on the eve of his team’s one-off Test match against New Zealand, it rained incessantly and the ground staff looked hapless in his efforts to get the ground ready in time.
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The match referee was seen inspecting the ground, while players from the camps discussed if at all, any action would be possible, given the dampness of the wicket, following rains over the last few days.
Being banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in September 2017, the Greater Noida stadium hasn’t hosted any BCCI-affiliated tournaments since.
Even though it was the home ground for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) earlier, it last hosted an international game – a Test between Afghanistan and Ireland – back in March 2020.
Though some local unaffiliated franchise tournaments have been conducted here thereafter, the stadium – managed by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority and not run by a state cricket association – has failed to improve its drainage system and, lacks manpower and basic facilities.
“We have limited Super Sopper and since it has been raining consistently, we have been struggling to get things ready,” a senior ground official told Sportstar.
While he was confident of getting things in shape once the rain stopped, the reality wasn’t quite impressive. Despite being the host, the ACB officials struggled to liaise with the local authorities on several grounds.
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Initially, a makeshift tent house was allocated to the media in one corner of the grounds but with rain and strong winds, safety concerns remain.
“We are trying to sort things out. These are teething troubles and hopefully, things will fall in place once the match begins,” a source in the ACB said.
Primarily, questions remain on how the pitch would hold up over the next days, and the players, too, seemed to be in doubt.
While Kane Williamson referred to it as a walk into the unknown, New Zealand captain Tim Southee said, “The ground conditions come under the match referee and the officials. It is on them to decide whether it is fit enough. So, as players, if they say ‘it’s fit’ then we go and play. We are looking forward for the weather to clear and we playing…”
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When the BCCI allotted the Greater Noida facility and the Green Park in Kanpur to the ACB, it chose the former because of its proximity to the national capital. Since reaching India last week, however, it has struggled to get things in order.
And, rain has only added to its woes.
Addressing the media, Shahidi batted for one ‘fixed home venue’, and it seems, the ACB officials are also in favour of the same.
“The facilities need to be better and we can ensure things are handled properly,” a source said. It would, however, be interesting to see if the ACB takes up the matter with the BCCI, going forward.
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