NEW DELHI: The opening day of the historic one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Greater Noida was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to poor ground conditions at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex.
The venue suffered from inadequate drainage, a waterlogged outfield, and substandard facilities, which hindered the groundstaff's efforts to prepare the field despite the absence of rain throughout Monday.
Umpires conducted multiple inspections, and New Zealand players, including captain Tim Southee and all-rounders Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra, assessed the pitch conditions, reported PTI. However, areas around mid-on, mid-wicket, and patches within the 30-yard circle remained a concern.
The groundsmen's struggles were evident, with the Super soppers being deployed only after 1:00 PM. The day's play was eventually called off at 4:00 PM, with the toss rescheduled for 9:00 AM the following day and the remaining four days set to have 98 overs each, starting at 9:30 AM.
The lack of modern facilities extended beyond the playing area, affecting media operations and fan experience. The venue lacked a proper media stand, adequate seating arrangements, and basic amenities such as water, power supply, and access to a female washroom.
The absence of a public announcement system left fans uninformed about the situation.
Poor communication and mismanagement between the stadium authority and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) were evident, with an ACB official expressing their dissatisfaction, stating, "This is a huge mess, we are never coming back here. The players are also unhappy with the facilities here."
The stadium, managed by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, had previously hosted a pink ball Duleep Trophy match in 2016 but was banned by the BCCI in September 2017 due to match-fixing during corporate matches.
No BCCI-affiliated match has been hosted at the venue since then, despite it serving as Afghanistan's home ground in the past. Another ACB official noted, "Nothing has changed since we came here. It's not improved one bit."
Prior to the Test, Afghanistan captain Hasmatullah Shahidi had appealed to the BCCI and ACB to arrange "a good home venue" for the team, emphasizing the importance of having a consistent and effective venue in India.
While the stadium does not fall under the jurisdiction of the UP Cricket Association, it remains to be seen whether BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla will intervene to address the issues at hand.
