AFG vs NZ: ACB's choice to pick Greater Noida over Bengaluru, Kanpur as Test venue backfires

No action has been possible at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground in the historic one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand as the controversy around the facilities continues.

The first two days of the Test were abandoned due to wet outfield, despite not a single drop of rain during scheduled match timings. The ground staff used various orthodox techniques as well as unorthodox methods to dry some of the concerning areas of the field. However, they were unsuccessful in their attempts. There was no rain on Tuesday (Day 2) but some wet patches on the field made it impossible for play to start. 

Before Day 3 was also abandoned due to rain, Afghanistan Cricket Board's (ACB) international cricket manager Menhajuddin Raz revealed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gave them three options - Kanpur, Bengaluru, and Greater Noida, but they opted for the latter to avoid logistical issues.

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“The BCCI offered us three venues – Kanpur, Bengaluru, and this one. We chose to play at Greater Noida as it was most convenient in terms of logistics. It was a two-hour drive from Delhi airport,” Menhajuddin Raz told reporters as quoted by NDTV Sports.

“The venue has always been Afghanistan's home venue. If we talk about back from 2016, we have been playing games here. It is because of the rain. Yesterday also, it rained. We had a three-day game here with one of the local teams, which went well. We didn't face any issues. But when the rain started, all of this happened,” he added.

Why was a shift in venue not possible?

Afghanistan's cricket governing body has hosted 11 white-ball international matches in Greater Noida so far. The other Indian ground where they have hosted games is Dehradun.

“We had conducted a recce four to six months back, and even the visiting team had done their recce. So there was no issue” Raaz added that ACB considered moving the match to a different venue, but it wasn't possible due to the monsoon season.

“We tried working on a solution to shift the game, and they said that because of the same rain, you will not be able to actually prepare the venue for you in the coming next 24 hours,” he added.

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This is New Zealand and Afghanistan's first time squaring off in the red-ball arena. The players would be desperate to get onto the field, and the fans have been anxiously waiting as well. However, rain Gods have had other ideas thus far.