For the first time in 91 years: Afghanistan vs New Zealand is cancelled, a stain on Indian cricket

Friday is the final day of the one-off Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test match in Greater Noida, but the wait for the first ball of the match continues. Poor facilities and inclement weather have meant that the match is likely to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. If that does happen, it would be the first time on Indian soil that a Test match has been abandoned without a ball being bowled. The first time India hosted a Test match was in 1933.

This is the first time in 91 years that a Test match on Indian soil has been abandoned without a single ball being bowled. In Asia, only one previous match has been abandoned without a single ball being bowled – this happened in 1998 during a match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Faisalabad. In total, only seven Tests have been abandoned worldwide without a single ball being bowled.

“The fourth day of the only Test match between the teams of Afghanistan and New Zealand will also not take place due to persistent rain,” the Afghan Cricket Association said in a statement on Thursday.

The decision on when the match will start on Friday morning at 8 a.m. will be made after the stadium has been inspected, it was said.

The city has been suffering from incessant rain over the past week, with the first two days being interrupted by a waterlogged outfield caused by the pitch's poor drainage system. Then rain intervened on the third and fourth days, forcing the game to be abandoned early.

ACB had earlier stated that they were offered Kanpur and Bengaluru as venues for this Test, but they opted for the Greater Noida venue as two other venues were already being used for BCCI matches (the upcoming India-Bangladesh second Test and the recently concluded first round of the Duleep Trophy).

The current Test is not part of the World Test Championship, but it will give the Kiwis a chance to acclimatise to conditions on the subcontinent ahead of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka and India in the coming months.

On the other hand, Afghanistan, who played two one-off Tests against Sri Lanka and Ireland earlier this year, are looking for their first win with the red ball since 2021.