Opening day of Afghanistan-New Zealand Test called off due to wet outfield

The first ever day of Test cricket at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground was abandoned due to a wet outfield. The weather was fair all day, with the sun out, but the drainage facilities could not dry the playing area entirely, leaving New Zealand and Afghanistan to wait at least another day to begin their first ever Test encounter.

There has been significant rain over the past few days and the challenge, according to chief curator Amit Sharma, was to keep the outfield fit for play if the wet weather continued. However, on Monday, there was not a single cover on the ground all day and the super-soppers were at work, but wet patches on the outfield and the bowlers' run-up remained a concern.

Multiple inspections took place, with the last one scheduled at 4.30pm local time, but the day was abandoned at 4.05 pm. The toss has been scheduled for 9am tomorrow and the remaining four days will have 98 overs each starting at 9.30am, instead of 10am.

The match is not part of the World Test Championship cycle but gives New Zealand an opportunity to acclimatise to subcontinent conditions, with two Test series against Sri Lanka and India lined up in the next couple of months.

Afghanistan have played two one-off Tests in this year so far, both in different countries against different opponents, and are looking for their first win since 2021.