The vision of hosting the first-ever Test match at the Greater Noida Sports Complex ground remained unfulfilled, as the one-off game between Afghanistan and New Zealand was abandoned without even a toss on Friday (September 13, 2024) due to incessant rain and a wet outfield. (More Cricket News)
Afghanistan were playing hosts in the Test, which was the first between the two nations. The match was set to be registered in history books. It will still be noted in history, but as only the eighth Test to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
There was a lot of buzz around the preparations for this match, the choice of venue, facilities at the stadium and the decision to host a Test match in north India amid monsoon season. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) faced a lot of criticism for being unable to get play underway on any of the five days of the game.
ACB, on its part, stated that it was left with no other options for the venue. The board posted an official statement after Day 2 was called off and cited its reasons for selecting Greater Noida as a Test match venue.
"We considered three potential venues in India – Dehradun, Lucknow and Greater Noida. Unfortunately, the other two were unavailable due to BCCI’s domestic matches, and the UAE’s extreme heat made it unsuitable for hosting a Test match. Given New Zealand’s busy schedule, we chose Greater Noida to ensure this important fixture takes place," the ACB said.
Afghanistan will next host South Africa for a three-match ODI series in Sharjah, starting from 18th September. On the other hand, New Zealand will go to Sri Lanka to play a two-match Test series, which is also starting on September 18. Hence, it was the only window available for both teams to play the Test.
The selection of venue and time was understandable but who should be blamed for the unavailability of basic equipment in the stadium? The Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex stadium comes under the aegis of the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA).
In December 2016, the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved the ground to host international matches between full-member nations. It was then picked by the Afghanistan cricket team as its home ground. In 2017, the stadium lost the privilege to host any matches conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after organizing a private league without the Indian cricket board's permission.
Originally, the ground was only allowed to host matches other than Tests and one-day internationals. But the ICC later granted permission for the stadium to host any international match. The venue currently has a seating capacity of 8,000, with no plans to upgrade to the originally intended capacity of 40,000.
The stadium only has 336 fixed seats beside the sight screen. Other spectators can watch the match from the open stands, where they can either sit or stand. No chairs are available in those areas.
The stadium complies with ICC's specifications and offers amenities such as media and corporate boxes, medical facilities, merchandise stores, a food court, an information kiosk, and more. However, the management for this Test match was sub-par.
Covers were insufficient to save the ground from the rain. Extra covers were borrowed from the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, and they only arrived on the evening of Day 2. By then, the damage was done and most parts of the ground were already soggy. The following days saw more rain and play was not possible.
The management of GNIDA was not commensurate with the international level and the absence of basic facilities was evident. If play had transpired there, player(s) could have been injured. The soil used in the ground was also supposedly of low quality.
The organizing authority had six months to prepare the venue for matches. Surprisingly, it did not seek help from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), which is its own state's association. It's important to note that Greater Noida falls under the jurisdiction of GNIDA and the UPCA had no role to play in that.
At the last moment, super soppers and scorers were provided by UPCA but they also were of no use. Daily wagers were hired to work as groundsmen and they ended up becoming the source of memes on the internet.
The evidently lackadaisical attitude of GNIDA led to the Test match being washed out. It seems unlikely that Greater Noida will have another chance to host a Test match in the near future.
