Explanation: What is going wrong in Greater Noida?

The Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida continues to await its Test debut. For the second day in a row, ground staff could be seen working feverishly to fix the waterlogged outfield that has attracted unwanted attention in the run-up to this only Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand – and during the first two days of play.

So what exactly happened on day 2?

Everything except the litter.

The fact that, despite a brief shower of rain last night, there was no cricket played for two days underlines how inadequately the pitch was prepared for this Test match.

New Zealand came for a short training session in the afternoon but avoided the outfield, opting instead to stay on one of the practice pitches. Afghanistan, on the other hand, did not turn up on the second day. They have already suffered a setback, with Ibrahim Zadran ruled out after spraining his ankle on the wet outfield the night before the match.

There were also several rounds of lively discussions between representatives of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, an agency under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Industrial Development of the Government of Uttar Pradesh that owns the stadium.

What did the ground crew do on the second day?

While there are several wet patches on the outfield, admittedly made worse by an hours-long rainstorm last night, groundsmen were primarily focused on two problem areas on either side of the pitch. The wet patch to the east was far worse, requiring a makeshift cut of wet patches of grass and replacing them with relatively drier ones from the outfield netting area. The laborious task required precise measurements and up to six people making multiple trips to transport the grass back and forth.

Stand fans were used on the west side to dry the affected area. By midday, the number of fans had increased to three. Remarkably, both problem areas remained uncovered during the rainstorm on the eve of the Test match. It is understandable that there are even concerns about the bowlers' run-up area, particularly at the Pavilion End. The New Zealand fast bowlers were seen using very short run-ups from the Far End during their afternoon practice session.

The ground in the stadium is not suitable for rapid drainage ©AFP

What's going on with the outfield?

Simply put, it is drainage.

Cricbuzz has learnt that the outfield at this venue is covered with sand, which is far from ideal. On non-prime pitches in India, it is common to have the outfield covered with 4 inches “khet ki mitti” (arable soil) and cover it with 4-6 inches of sandy loam to save costs. The high clay content in “khet ki mitti” reduces hydraulic conductivity (the rate at which water flows through the soil), causing water to pool in the soil, which in turn creates areas (capillary edges) where water is drawn up from below by capillary action, similar to how a wick in an oil lamp draws oil.

This keeps the surface of the outfield wet even without further rain.

How much of the blame is the weather?

Part of the blame definitely lies with the weather. Greater Noida had rain the week before this Test, compounding the problems of an already problematic outfield at a poorly prepared venue.

So who chose the venue?

The ACB. Menhajuddin Naz, the ACB's international cricket manager, stated that they were offered three venues by the BCCI for this Test match – Kanpur, Bengaluru and Greater Noida. They chose Greater Noida as it is more popular and more accessible from Kabul as the stadium is a two-hour drive from New Delhi International Airport. The official did not comment on the availability of the other two venues: Kanpur's Green Park is gearing up to host the second Test between India and Bangladesh from September 27, while the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru recently hosted a Duleep Trophy match from September 5-8.

Could the ground have been prepared better?

Probably. One of the simplest solutions to a pitch with poor drainage is to use covers for the entire playing surface. Large venues like Eden Gardens and Galle cope with this regularly. However, the Greater Noida venue did not have covers large enough to protect the entire pitch. Moreover, removing waterlogged covers is a skill that is probably not widely known on a pitch that rarely hosts international cricket. In fact, the last international match at the venue was in 2020.

An ACB official said attempts had been made to find alternative venues for the Test, but last-minute requests could not be accommodated.

Have there ever been any problems at the venue?

Yes, the venue was banned by the BCCI in 2017 due to corruption concerns, resulting in the BCCI not hosting any matches here since then.

Any hopes for day 3?

In Greater Noida, the second day was mostly cloudy and cooler, which would have slowed the rate of drying of the outfield. And to make matters worse, it rained again on the second evening after play was abandoned early, which is likely to pose a new challenge for the ground staff.