After the setback on the first day, Day 2 of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was also abandoned due to wet outfield on Tuesday, September 10. The groundsmen at Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground failed to get the ground ready despite no rain falling on the first two days.
Notably, heavy rainfall lashed the venue a day before the game. As per Cricbuzz, the groundstaff worked hard by replacing the grass patches, using fans to dry the surface along with super soppers.
Former Sri Lanka cricketer-turned-commentator Farveez Maharoof is hopeful of action on Day 3. He said (via Cricbuzz):
"According to the umpires there has been a lot of improvement but not enough to get some play. If there is no rain today then I genuinely believe we will have some play tomorrow."
The Noida-based venue has been used as Afghanistan's home ground for the last few years. They were supposed to play their first-ever Test against New Zealand here but the game is yet to start.
Other than M Chinnaswamy Stadium and to an extent the Eden Gardens, the grounds in India have poor drainage systems. Notably, hairdryers were used to dry the pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium during the IPL 2023 final between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Sharing the update, Afghanistan Cricket's official handle wrote on X:
"Day 2 Abandoned! Day 2 of the one-off #AFGvNZ Test has officially been called off. Despite multiple efforts to dry the surface, the outfield remained unfit for play."
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) were disappointed as Day 2 also witnessed no action. One user wrote:
"Feeling sad for Afghanistan. BCCI has let down Afghanistan."
Another user wrote:
"Except Bangalore stadium all our stadiums management and drainage system are worst."
A third user added:
"Looks like Noida's groundsmen are better at making excuses than maintaining the field. Is anyone even trying here?"
Here are a few more reactions:
Afghanistan and New Zeland's squad for one-off Test
Afghanistan Squad: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ikram Alikhil (w), Bahir Shah, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Khalil Ahmed, Zia-ur-Rehman, Afsar Zazai, Nijat Masood, Shamsurrahman, Abdul Malik.
New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Tom Latham (w), Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee (c), Matt Henry, Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, William ORourke.
Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️