Play on Day 1 of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was called off after the outfield remained unfit for play at the end of the day. Incessant rains ahead of the game led to a wet outfield which the groundsmen couldn’t prepare, thanks to the sub-par facilities at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Stadium. Venting out frustration at the lack of facilities, an Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) official claimed that they were ‘never going to come back’ to the venue.
Afghanistan frustrated with no play on Day 1 of AFG vs NZ Test
Speaking to TOI, an ACB official claimed that the first choice of venue for the country was Lucknow and not Greater Noida. The official claimed that the complete mismanagement of the venue and the lack of training facilities left the Afghan cricketers perturbed. He added that it was a huge mess and vowed to never come back.
“The complete mismanagement at the venue and the lack of training facilities has left the Afghan cricketers a bit perturbed. This is a huge mess. We are not coming back here,” an ACB official told TOI.
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No play on Day 1 leaves everyone miffed
The game, which was supposed to begin at 9 AM, was delayed due to wet outfield. After two inspections, an early lunch was taken on Day 1, with the next inspection scheduled for 1.30 PM. However, the situation continued to remain the same, with patches in the outfield still wet and unfit for play. Not to forget, Afghanistan already lost Ibrahim Zadran to injury after he sprained his ankle while training in the wet outfield.
Captains of both sides have expressed unhappiness regarding the condition of the outfield at the Greater Noida Stadium. What was more startling was that there was no play despite no rainfall for over 15 overs, indicating at the poor drainage facilities at the venue.
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