The stadium in Greater Noida, where three days of the Afghanistan v New Zealand Test have been abandoned

What is (not) going on in the Afghanistan v New Zealand Test in Greater Noida?

The match was scheduled to begin on Monday (September 9), but doubts emerged over the start emerged the previous evening. After the pre-match press conferences, reports emerged that the entire playing area at the stadium had been covered due to rain overnight. There was also some rain on the morning of Sunday (September 8).

Drainage facilities at the ground did not appear up to scratch, as the covers remained on well after the rain relented on Sunday. The ground staff at the stadium also had to resort to using table fans in an attempt to dry out the pitch. Further worries came with the weather forecast also predicting rain at times through the first few days of the Test.

As it turned out, the sky was clear on Monday, and the game was expected to get underway on time. However, news soon emerged that the toss had been delayed due to a wet outfield, bringing more scrutiny on the stadium's facilities and capability to deal with rain-related delays.

Efforts to dry the ground were eventually futile, as the umpires conducted six inspections of the ground before making the decision to call off the day's play at 4pm local time. Kumar Dharmasena, one of the umpires, told the host broadcaster at the end of the day that player safety was paramount, and that they were worried about five or six patches within the 30-yard circle.

The umpire also cited an injury that had taken place the previous day (Sunday). Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran had slipped on the outfield while fielding in training, and hurt his left heel. He has been ruled out of the match, as well as Afghanistan's ODI series against South Africa later this month.

The weather gods relented on day three as well (Tuesday, September 10). But there had been a 90-minute downpour at 6pm on Monday, which reportedly left the outfield flooded.

The toss was scheduled half an hour early to make up for the abandonment of day one, but once again never took place. In addition to using fans, this time the ground staff tried to cut out dry grass from the practice pitches area and replace the wet patches on the ground. But even this did not prove enough, before play was called off at 2:55pm local time.

On day three, play was called off as early as 9:15am, as rain fell for the first time during the match hours. Difficulties in readying the ground were also explained by the fact that the outfield at the venue is not sand-based, which means it takes longer for any moisture to dissipate.

What are the issues around the cricket stadium in Greater Noida?

There has been widespread criticism over the fact that the stadium in Greater Noida has been allocated this Test match.

Afghanistan have played 11 matches at the venue previously, all against Ireland – five T20Is and six ODIs, in March 2017 and March 2020. However, the ground was blacklisted by the BCCI in September 2017, as it had been leased for the staging of a private league which was under suspicion from the board's anti-corruption unit.

It was quickly decided that the ground would not be considered as a venue for the upcoming season, and was subsequently stripped of its status to hold BCCI-conducted matches.

The clause specifying BCCI-conducted matches means that the venue can still be used if another board hosts matches there, as the ACB did in March 2020. The ACB is also the host board for the New Zealand Test, meaning it can technically be offered by the BCCI to the ACB as a venue.

However, the stadium does not come under the control of the BCCI or the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) but the local administration. Therefore, it is unclear whether the facilities at the ground were deemed up to the standard required to host international cricket.

ACB international cricket manager Menhajuddin Raz said in a media interaction on Tuesday that both Afghanistan and New Zealand had done their 'recce' of the venue well in advance, and were satisfied with it. In no uncertain terms, he claimed that the overnight rain was responsible for the three days' abandonment, and not the facilities or staff at the venue.

ACB's commercial manager Akbar Mohammad Paktian also said that they had tried to shift the venue to another stadium nearby, but were told that was not possible due to the same rain forecast for Greater Noida.

Why is Afghanistan v New Zealand being played in Greater Noida?

There has been confusion over which venues other than Greater Noida were offered by the BCCI to the ACB. On Monday morning, ESPNCricinfo reported that an Afghanistan team official said the players were unhappy with the facilities in Greater Noida, and that Afghanistan had wanted to play in Kanpur, Lucknow or Dehradun.

They were told this was not possible due to Kanpur being readied for Bangladesh's visit to India later this month, and Lucknow and Dehradun hosting T20 leagues.

But Raz's words to the media on Tuesday were that Afghanistan had been offered the alternatives of Bengaluru and Kanpur as venues, conflicting with initial reports. He further stated that it was the ACB's choice to come to Greater Noida, for logistical reasons and the fact they had played here before.

On Wednesday morning, things became even more unclear by the ACB's posts on different social media platforms about the abandonment of play on day three.

On Instagram, the board stated that Dehradun, Lucknow and Greater Noida had been considered as potential venues. But on Facebook, the ACB's official account said that Bengaluru, Kanpur and Greater Noida were the three venues under consideration.

In either case, it is doubtful how much choice the ACB could have had in picking Greater Noida. Dehradun, Lucknow and Kanpur were ruled out for reasons mentioned earlier and it appears strange for the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to be under consideration, as a Duleep Trophy match concluded there only on Sunday.

It is possible that the Bengaluru venue was not the Chinnaswamy, but the KSCA ground in Alur in the outskirts of the city, which has hosted Ranji Trophy matches before. However, there is no concrete information on this.

In the end, while blame shifts back and forth between the weather, the BCCI, and the ACB, this Test match has turned into something not far from a farce. It may be that we miraculously get a two-day match, but either way the situation has not been a good look for the sport.

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