NEW DELHI: The
Greater Noida Authority
is under criticism as the scheduled one-off Test match between
Afghanistan
and
New Zealand
has been delayed for the third consecutive day. The match, set to begin on Monday at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, remains unplayed due to persistent rain and a wet outfield. Concerns about the venue's readiness have surfaced.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had provided the
Afghanistan Cricket Board
(ACB) with multiple venue options, including Kanpur, Bengaluru, and Greater Noida.
The ACB chose
Greater Noida
for logistical reasons, considering its proximity to Delhi and better connectivity from Kabul.
Continuous rainfall over the past two weeks has severely affected the ground conditions. Umpires have cited "player safety" concerns due to the wet outfield as the reason for the delay.
"The venue has always been Afghanistan's home venue. If we talk about back from 2016, we have been playing games here," said ACB international cricket manager
Menhajuddin Naz
was quoted as saying by PTI on Tuesday. He emphasized that logistical convenience was a major factor in their decision, despite the recent adverse weather conditions.
The ACB has hosted 11 white-ball international games at this venue and Dehradun. A venue inspection conducted several months ago had identified no issues.
ACB’s commercial head, Akbar Muhammad, explained that moving the match to another venue was considered but deemed not feasible due to the ongoing rain, which would not allow proper preparation.
"We tried working on a solution to shift the game, but the rain made it impossible to prepare another venue within the next 24 hours," Muhammad said.
The delays in the match have drawn international scrutiny and raised questions about the suitability of Greater Noida for hosting high-profile cricket matches.
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