Third day’s play between Afghanistan and New Zealand at Greater Noida abandoned at 9 am

Hyderabad: The third day of the one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium in Greater Noida was abandoned due to incessant rain.

There was heavy rain overnight and puddles in the outfield meant no play would have been possible, given the overwhelming drainage system due to the rains and facilities at the ground.

The first two days of the Test match was also abandoned without a ball being bowled owing to rain, wet outfield, bad condition of the ground in several places. Improper drainage system and inexperienced ground staff compounded the problems as the ground was unfit to hold any play.

In fact, the toss for the match hasn’t taken place yet.

The third day’s play was called off as early as 9 am IST.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board, in a media release, confirmed the development. “Afghanistan versus New Zealand Day 3 is called off due to persistent rains. The match will commence with 98 overs from tomorrow if the skies get clear,” the release read.

The Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium in Greater Noida is Afghanistan’s one of the home grounds after an unstable political condition forced the cricket board to look for avenues elsewhere.

The New Zealand players did not come to the ground while some Afghanistan players, including head coach Jonathan Trott, came to the ground, spoke to the match officials and groundsmen and left for the day.

The ground was covered entirely unlike how only the pitch was covered for the first two days. But incessant rain prevented any possibility of play.

The Test match is not a part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and the ICC does not get involved in any of the logistics and during the conduct of the match, except for appointing match officials.

New Zealand will next travel to Sri Lanka to play two Test matches, a part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.