Afghanistan-New Zealand Test called off due to persistent rain

Greater Noida, Sep 13
The one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand has been called off without a ball being bowled after the fifth and final day of the match washed out due to continuous rain.

"It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rains, the 5th and final day of Afghanistan vs New Zealand test has been also called off by the match officials," Afghanistan Cricket said in a statement.

The city had witnessed relentless rains over the last week and the first two days were disrupted due to a damp outfield caused by poor drainage system at the ground. Then, rain intervened on the last three days to forc abandonment of the match with a ball bowled.

This was only the eighth such instance in the Test history that a Test called off with no play on all five days and the first since 1998.

The current Test is not part of the World Test Championship but the Kiwis had the opportunity to acclimatise to subcontinental conditions ahead of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka and India in the coming months.

On the other hand, Afghanistan, who have played two one-off Tests against Sri Lanka and Ireland earlier this year, are in search of their first red-ball win since 2021.

Afghanistan will be travelling to Sharjah where they host South Africa for three ODIS, which begins on September 18.

New Zealand, on tje other hand, will be going to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series, which gets underway on September 18 as well. Those Tests will be part of the World Test Championship.

"The one-off Test against Afghanistan has officially been called off early on day five following further rain in Noida.

The Test squad will relocate to Sri Lanka tomorrow ahead of the two-Test WTC series in Galle..." New Cricket said.