• Source:JND
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AFG vs NZ, One-Off Test: The much awaited historic one-off Test between New Zealand and Afghanistan at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida, appeared to be in limbo as the wet outfield woes and poor facilities continued to hamper the Day 2.

The opening day of the match which was supposed to take place on Monday was marred by the wet outfield without a ball being played. Now on Tuesday morning, the second day's play was delayed due to a wet outfield.

The inspection was done by the umpires at 12 pm local time after the second day's play was delayed. However, Day 2 seemed to be heading in the same direction as Day 1 as the next inspection is scheduled to take place at 3 pm local time.

The Greater Noida stadium has faced criticism for its poor facilities and drainage system as persistent rain in the area caused the outfield to become soggy and unplayable, leading to multiple inspections and ultimately, the cancellation of play on Day 1.

Despite efforts by ground staff to address the issue with sawdust, the conditions remained unsafe for players. The stadium's drainage system was unable to handle the rain, resulting in large patches of muddy outfield, especially in the mid-on and mid-wicket areas.

There was a lack of communication between the stadium authority and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and utter mismanagement.

"This is a huge mess, we are never coming back here. The players are also unhappy with the facilities here," an ACB official said as quoted by PTI.

"We had spoken with the concerned people well in advance and were assured by the stadium guys that everything will be in order (pertaining to the media facilities)," he added.

Due to the soggy and wet outfield at Greater Noida’s Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik, the play on the opening day of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was called abandoned.

Although the first day of the Test match on Monday dawned bright and sunny, play was unable to commence due to wet patches on the outfield, a lingering result of the heavy rainfall that had plagued the city throughout the previous week.

The Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, hosting its inaugural Test match, was bathed in sunshine, but the umpires ultimately decided to abandon play for the day at 4 pm local time, deeming the outfield conditions unsuitable for play.

ALSO READ: AFG vs NZ Only Test: Day One Called Off Without A Ball Being Bowled Due To Wet Outfield At Greater Noida Stadium

The Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand will begin half an hour early at 9:30 a.m. local time over the next four days. The toss will be held at 9 a.m. local time. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Tuesday doesn't look good, with a forecast of thundershowers throughout the day.

AFG vs NZ, One-Off Test: Weather Update

According to weather.com, the weather forecasts for Tuesday do not look promising as it indicate a high likelihood of thundershowers and rain predicted to start overnight and continue into the day. The rain is expected to persist throughout the day, with a 62% chance of showers at noon, making it a wet and stormy day.

On Monday multiple inspections were carried out, but concerns over the wet outfield and the bowlers' run-up areas ultimately forced officials to abandon play for the day. The conditions were never deemed fit enough to even conduct the toss.

The current Test is not part of the World Test Championship but the Kiwis have the opportunity to acclimatise to subcontinental conditions ahead of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka and India in the coming months. On the other hand, Afghanistan, who have played two one-off Tests against Sri Lanka and Ireland earlier this year, are in search of their first red-ball win since 2021.