New Zealand-Afghanistan Test: Greater Noida stadium fails Test

Using traditional tarpaulin to protect outfield, pedestal fans to dry wet patches, loaning ground cover from one state unit and super soppers from another while deploying untrained ground staff, the Greater Noida Authority encountered colossal failure in not being able to get second day’s play underway in the one-off Test between New Zealand and Afghanistan.

For the second successive day, not a single ball could be bowled at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex here, putting the venue under scanner and making it an international embarrassment. The game, the first between the two nations, was scheduled to begin on Monday but no play was possible as the umpires cited “players safety” as a concern.

While there was no rain throughout the day, there was a downpour for about an hour on Monday evening, affecting the start of play on Tuesday, which was scheduled to commence half-an-hour earlier than the original start time of 10am.

While the skies remained clear on Tuesday, the field couldn’t even be readied for a curtailed day’s play despite best efforts. The mid-on and midwicket areas remained a cause of concern as the groundsmen were bringing in dry sections of grass from the practice area to “transplant” it to the mid-wicket area. Additionally, pedestal fans were used to dry patches on the offside as the groundsmen continued to work all day.

Officials from the Greater Noida Authority, under which the stadium falls, were also in attendance, supervising the work. Umpires conducted three inspections before calling off play on the second day.