Manager defends stadium amid ongoing rain delays in Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test

The historic one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, scheduled to be played at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium in Greater Noida, has been surrounded by controversy after four consecutive days passed without a single ball bowled. The delays have sparked criticism about the stadium’s preparation and suitability for international cricket, but the stadium manager has pushed back, blaming the weather for the disruptions.

The Test match, which was set to begin on Monday, faced major setbacks due to heavy rainfall and concerns over the stadium’s infrastructure. Reports highlighted issues like inadequate ground covers, poor drainage, and a playing surface that seemed unready for the match. This raised doubts about whether the venue was fit to host such a significant game.

In response to these concerns, the stadium manager defended the preparation efforts, saying the venue delivered exactly what was requested by Afghanistan’s coach, Jonathan Trott. 

“The Afghanistan team had arrived on 30 August and they played a 3-day (intra-squad) match from 1-2 September where they scored more than 300 runs. We delivered the pitch as per coach Jonathan Trott’s demand,” the stadium manager said.

He further explained that the ongoing rain has been the real issue, not the venue’s readiness. 

“The rain is causing the major trouble which isn’t in our hands. The closest stadium to this one is Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium) where the downpour has resulted in the cancellation of (DPL 2024) matches. The showers are so heavy that the water penetrates the covers despite enveloping the entire ground," he added.

The manager also emphasized that Afghanistan has been using this stadium as their home venue for the past three years and should be well aware of the ground’s conditions, even during the rainy season. 

“And it’s not that Afghanistan are not aware of this ground. It has been their home venue for three years, and they surely have trained in rainy conditions. Had their board been unaware, they wouldn’t have approved this venue to host the game. People just need content and don’t want to know the reality,” the manager concluded.