Afghanistan and New Zealand's solitary Test match was called off without a single ball bowled, marking the eighth such instance in cricketing history.

Sept. 13, 2024, 3:58 a.m.

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The lone Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand was completely canceled on Friday due to weather conditions. The game did not even reach the point of a coin toss.

“It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rains, the 5th and final day of Afghanistan vs New Zealand test has been also called off by the match officials,” said the message from the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the hosts for the Test in Greater Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi.

The relentless rain, coupled with inadequate facilities, has ultimately determined the fate of the match in Greater Noida. For three consecutive days, the play was canceled before the scheduled start time of 9:30 am IST.

There was substantial rainfall in and around Greater Noida leading up to the fifth day. While the first day could have potentially seen cricket, the subpar drainage system and muddy outfield made it impossible. This situation persisted throughout the remaining days.

To dry the ground in Greater Noida this week, unusual techniques were employed, including using electric fans on wet areas that were also dug up and replaced with fresh mud and grass.

Despite the efforts, the persistent rain on the third, fourth, and fifth days left the ground covered with water and puddles, rendering the tactics useless.

Since 2017, Afghanistan has successfully played six Twenty20 matches and five one-day international matches at the Greater Noida venue.

This marks the eighth Test match to have been abandoned without a single ball bowled. The last instance of this occurred in 1998 in Dunedin, during a match between India and New Zealand.

This was Afghanistan’s only tenth Test match since they were given Full Member status in 2017. For New Zealand, the one-off Test was to mark the beginning of their subcontinent expedition which includes two Tests in Sri Lanka followed by three in India. Unlike those five matches, this one is not part of the World Test Championship.

Advertisement List of Test matches abandoned without a ball bowled:

The concept of limited overs cricket (one-day international cricket) emerged from an abandoned 1970 Test match between Australia and England at the MCG.

Once the weather improved, Australia and England decided to play a 40-over match on the originally scheduled fifth day. This match was later officially recognized as the first-ever ODI.

England vs Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1890

England vs Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1938

Australia vs England at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1970

New Zealand vs Pakistan at Carisbrook, Dunedin in 1989

West Indies vs England at Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana in 1990

Pakistan vs Zimbabwe at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad in 1998

Advertisement New Zealand vs India at Carisbrook, Dunedin in 1998