Afghanistan vs New Zealand one-off Test called off without toss on 5th day

The Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test became the first match in the 21st century to end without a single ball being bowled.

The historic one-off Test between New Zealand and Afghanistan was called off due to inclement weather and a wet outfield at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium in Greater Noida on Friday, September 13.

"It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rains, the 5th and final day of Afghanistan vs New Zealand test has been also called off by the match officials," Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement.

Afghanistan, having displayed excellent form in limited-overs cricket, was expected to provide a tough contest. However, no play occurred, not even the toss, as weather conditions prevented the game from starting.

This Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test became the first match in the 21st century to end without a single ball being bowled.

Here are the 7 Test matches that were abandoned without a single ball being bowled - 

Test matches abandoned without a ball bowled
Date	Venue	Match	Reason
25-08-1890	Old Trafford, Manchester	Australia & England	The Test was abandoned due to rain. Both team captains did not even come together for a toss.
08-07-1938	Old Trafford, Manchester	Australia & England	This match was also abandoned due to rain. There was no toss in that encounter as well.
31-12-1970	Melbourne Cricket Ground	Australia & England	AUS vs ENG Test match in 1970 was abandoned as soon as the players entered the field because of rain.
03-02-1989	Carisbrook, Dunedin	New Zealand & Pakistan	Due to heavy, sweeping rain, the match was abandoned on February 3, 1989. However, an ODI was scheduled for February 6, 1989, and it was played as planned.
10-03-1990	Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana	England & West Indies	The match was abandoned due to rain. In this particular tie as well, an ODI was played on the fifth day of the match.
17-12-1998	Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad	Pakistan & Zimbabwe	No teams were announced for the Test match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe back in 1998.
18-12-1998	Carisbrook, Dunedin	India & New Zealand	India's match was abandoned on the 3rd day. It was decided that on the day 4, an unofficial One day match would be played.

Five days of interrupted play:

Day 1: Contrary to the weather forecast, there was bright sunshine throughout the day. However, the match officials did not call for the captains to toss due to a wet outfield and damp patches within the 30-yard circle. Eventually, the day's play was called off in the evening.

Day 2: Despite the absence of rain, heavy overnight showers lasting nearly an hour worsened ground conditions. Although several inspections took place, and some player activity was observed on Day 2, the second day witnessed desperate efforts from the groundsmen to make the field playable.

The groundsmen continued their attempts, including replacing muddy patches with dry grass and deploying pedestal fans to address the damp areas. Despite these efforts, the ground conditions were still not deemed fit for international cricket. Play was eventually called off for the second day around 3 PM IST. Afghanistan officials commended the groundsmen's efforts, noting that persistent rain had worsened the situation.

Following the abandonment of play on Day 2, the groundsmen’s attempts continued, but they proved futile as incessant rain began on the morning of Day 3. 

The muddy area around mid-wicket was replaced with dry grass patches to speed up the drying process. Pedestal fans were also deployed to address the damp patches, which remained a significant concern for the match officials. Despite these efforts, the ground conditions were still not deemed fit for international cricket.

Ultimately, the one-off historic Test was called off on Day 5.

Greater Noida Stadium is managed by the Greater Noida Development Authority, not the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association. 

Questions raised over Greater Noida Stadium management

Greater Noida's Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium faced scrutiny after the first two days of the match were abandoned despite clear weather. Questions were raised regarding the responsibilities of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the stadium managers, and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). Former BCCI secretary Arun Dhumal clarified that ACB was responsible for choosing the venue.

"They wanted Kanpur, but we are hosting a Test match there, so that was not possible. Bengaluru was not logistically feasible for the ACB. We have two stadiums in Mohali as well, but logistics were again the issue. For them, playing in Delhi-NCR was more suitable, and since they had played at the venue before, the ACB opted for the Greater Noida Sports Complex," Dhumal was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

BCCI's intervention

According to a PTI report, the BCCI arranged covers from Arun Jaitley Stadium and extra super-soppers from Meerut on the evening of Day 2 in an attempt to mitigate the situation. But all the attempt was washed out by incessant rain post Day 2.

Stadium management responds

Speaking to radio channel 93.5 Red FM, an unnamed stadium manager denied any mismanagement. He stated that people were unjustly criticising the facility. "The Afghanistan team arrived on August 30 and played a three-day game from 1-2 September, scoring over 300 runs. We delivered the pitch as per coach Jonathan Trott’s demand," he said.

He further attributed the problems to the weather, noting that even the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi had to cancel matches due to heavy rain. "The showers were so intense that water penetrated the covers, despite them enveloping the entire ground," he added.