AFG vs NZ: Jonathan Trott and Gary Stead express disappointment over abandoned Test

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In a disappointing turn of events, the highly anticipated one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand was abandoned on Friday without a single ball being bowled. 

Both head coaches, Jonathan Trott of Afghanistan and Gary Stead of New Zealand, voiced their frustrations as the match fell victim to unforeseen weather conditions and facility issues.

Jonathan Trott, the head coach of Afghanistan, expressed his disappointment: “Personally, I was disappointed. We were very excited to play against New Zealand and put ourselves up against the challenge of that. The players have worked really hard,” Trott said, “(But) to try and play a Test match at this time of the year is always tricky…”

The Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium, hosting its first Test match, came under scrutiny for its lack of facilities and inadequate drainage. Despite sunny weather at the start, the stadium faced severe criticism for the lack of play during the initial days. In response, stadium authorities and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) procured covers from the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi and received super soppers from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association to address the water-logging issue. However, heavy rainfall rendered the ground unplayable.

Trott remarked on the situation, saying, “In terms of facilities, we are obviously disappointed that we haven’t been able to play,” Trott said, adding: “But the amount of water that’s come down is unprecedented for this time of year.”

New Zealand's head coach, Gary Stead, shared similar sentiments. 

“It’s frustrating for us. It was our first Test match against Afghanistan and we were really excited about that as well.

They’ve been great competitors of ours over the last few World Cups and we’ve had some great games of cricket,” the New Zealand coach said.

“The most disappointing part for us is that we’ve lost that ability to be match-hardened and match-ready when we go into our Test match next week. So, the guys are really disappointed,” Stead said.

On the eve of the Test, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi had expressed optimism about having a consistent ‘home venue’ to enhance their performance. Afghanistan has previously used various locations including Greater Noida, Dehradun, Lucknow, and the UAE for their home games.

Trott supported Shahidi’s sentiment, saying, “If you have one fixed venue, then you can iron out the issues that arise. That’s always nice. But I think this maybe a result of not having played a lot of Test cricket in the past and still trying to find a venue that we can use consistently, so it would be nice to have one venue.”

Following the abandoned Test, Afghanistan will next travel to the UAE for a limited-overs series against South Africa, while New Zealand heads to Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series starting next week.