Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test match to leave shameful record | Courtesy – Afghanistan Cricket Board
KEY POINTS
- Afghanistan-New Zealand test is about to be abandoned
- It has not been possible to play on any of the four days.
- It is unlikely that any action will take place on the 5th.
The test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand in the Sports Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Complex in Greater Noida It was expected to be a historic occasion as it was the first ever red-ball cricket match between the two teams. However, the match is now on the verge of creating an embarrassing record after the fourth day of play was also called off due to rain on Thursday (September 12).
So far, not a single ball has been bowled in the Test match as there is only one day left for the match to end. With more rain forecast in Greater Noida overnight and poor drainage facilities at the stadium, the match is unlikely to be played on Day 5 (Friday, September 13) and is likely to be abandoned without a single ball being bowled. In fact, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced a press conference at 9:00 AM IST, which practically confirms that there will be no play on the final day.
Afghanistan-New Zealand clash could leave an embarrassing record
If the Test match is called off, the Afghanistan-New Zealand clash will become the first Test match on Indian soil in the history of the sport in which not a single ball was bowled. India hosted its first Test match 91 years ago (1933) and has hosted 292 matches, but never before has a match been played in which not a single ball was bowled.
In fact, this will be only the second time a Test match has been abandoned in Asia and only the eighth occasion something similar has happened anywhere in the world in the 147-year history of Test cricket and the first in 26 years.
Interestingly, the last instance of something similar happening was in December 1998, when two matches (Pakistan v Zimbabwe in Faisalabad and New Zealand v India in Dunedin) were cancelled on the same day.
Which Test matches have been abandoned without a single ball being bowled?
| Phosphorus | Event | Year |
| England vs Australia | Old Trafford, Manchester | 1890 |
| England vs Australia | Old Trafford, Manchester | 1938 |
| Australia vs England | Melbourne Metropolitan Medical Center | 1970 |
| New Zealand vs Pakistan | Carisbrook, Dunedin | 1989 |
| West Indies vs England | Bourda, Guyana | 1990 |
| Pakistan vs Zimbabwe | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad | 1998 |
| New Zealand vs India | Charisma Book, Dunedin | 1998 |
What was not possible to play in the Greater Noida Test?
While rain has been the main factor behind the lack of action, there were prolonged periods of sunshine but the ground staff failed to make the outfield safe to play on. Even extreme measures such as using an electric fan and digging up a wet patch to replace it with fresh grass failed.
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