Afghanistan’s debut Test in greater Noida abandoned due to persistent rain

Afghanistan's historic Test debut at Greater Noida, located on the outskirts of New Delhi, was washed out today due to relentless rainfall over the past fortnight. The match, which was set to be Afghanistan's first-ever Test at this venue, never even saw the toss as officials were forced to call it off amid continued downpours.

Despite patches of sunshine on the first two days and tireless efforts by ground staff using electric fans, the outfield remained too saturated for play. The venue, hosting its inaugural Test match, faced scrutiny due to its basic drainage systems and limited facilities.

Afghanistan, renowned for their prowess in white-ball cricket and recent T20 World Cup triumph over New Zealand in June, have been unable to host international matches at home due to security concerns.

With the current Test match abandoned, Tim Southee's New Zealand squad will now proceed to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series before returning to India for three more matches.

The last time an entire Test match was abandoned due to weather was in December 1998 when New Zealand hosted India in Dunedin. Notably, the first-ever One Day International (ODI) was born from a similarly abandoned Test in Melbourne in 1970, when Australia and England opted to play a 40-over match on the rescheduled fifth day.