Why Day 3 of AFG vs NZ only-test called off even before 9:30 AM?

The Greater Noida stadium and BCCI have been under focus for the last few days. The only Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand faced abandonment for a third day in a row. The sorry state of affairs continued on Wednesday as the game was called off for the day even before the official start of play. 

Noida has been experiencing heavy rains since Tuesday evening. The downpour didn’t let up as the ground took a pounding with the huge rains. With the weather radar suggesting more rain it was sensible to call off the day. 

If the fans are expecting some good news over the next two days, there is more despair in store. According to the weather reports there is more rain for the next four days. There is a heavy downpour till Saturday which would mean that the next two days are also staring at bleak chances of play. 

Also Read: Why isn't one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand part of WTC?

Afghanistan board miffed with choice of venue 

Ever since Afghanistan have got their Test status, the BCCI have put them up at Greater Noida or Dehradun. The stadium in Greater Noida has been called out for its abysmal facilities in the past as well. 

One unnamed Afghanistan Cricket Official while speaking to the media said “You won’t believe me but the stadia in Afghanistan have better facilities than this one. We have improved our infrastructure in the past few years. Our first choice was the Lucknow stadium and the second was Dehradun”

The Official also said “Our requests were rejected by the BCCI and we were told that both the states are hosting their respective T20 leagues. This was the only ground available and we had no other choice left,"

Mehnajuddin Naz while speaking to the media said “Everyone, including the ground authorities, have worked hard. Even if it had been any other venue, they would have struggled to get it back on time."

The Afghan Cricket manager also said “We chose Greater Noida as it was most convenient in terms of logistics. It was closer to Delhi and also connectivity from Kabul was better,"