Afghanistan’s one-off Take a look at towards New Zealand has joined some choose firm within the sport’s historical past — for all of the fallacious causes.
The match, scheduled to happen on the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sport Complicated in Higher Noida, close to Delhi, grew to become simply the eighth match within the format’s historical past to be deserted with no ball being bowled.
There have been 2,549 Take a look at matches within the format’s 147-year historical past.
The primary ever Take a look at scheduled between the edges appeared doomed from the beginning resulting from regular rain for over two weeks within the area.
A mix of falling rain and, when that stopped, a persistently moist outfield, ended any hope of play.
It was Afghanistan’s third Take a look at in 2024, following one-off matches towards Eire and a 10-wicket loss to Sri Lanka.
There was controversy over New Zealand’s determination to play Afghanistan in a Take a look at, after Australia withdrew from a 3 match T20 sequence on authorities recommendation.
“Over the previous 12 months, CA has continued to seek the advice of with the Australian authorities on the scenario in Afghanistan,” Cricket Australia mentioned upon asserting the withdrawal from the sequence.
“The federal government’s recommendation is that circumstances for ladies and women in Afghanistan are getting worse.
“Because of this, we have now maintained our earlier place and can postpone the bilateral sequence towards Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan is the one full member of the Worldwide Cricket Council to not have a ladies’s cricket group after it was disbanded following the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Australia has continued to play Afghanistan in World Cups.
The group will play three one-day internationals towards South Africa within the United Arab Emirates starting September 18.
Afghanistan play their dwelling matches overseas resulting from safety issues for touring groups.
The Afghan board most well-liked Higher Noida — which was set to host its first ever Take a look at match — over two different venues in India due to its proximity to Delhi, which made travelling from Kabul simpler.
New Zealand subsequent performs a two-Take a look at sequence towards Sri Lanka in Galle on September 18.
It then returns to India for a three-Take a look at sequence towards India in October.
When have Checks been deserted with no ball being bowled earlier than?
Rain is the bane of a cricketer’s existence. (Getty Photos: Morgan Hancock)
The primary such occasion of a recreation being deserted with no ball being bowled was an Ashes Take a look at at Outdated Trafford, Manchester, in 1890.
Ashes Checks have been affected thrice in whole by the climate making play unattainable.
The second occasion additionally occurred at Outdated Trafford in 1938, with the third happening in Melbourne in 1970.
New Zealand has featured in deserted Checks thrice, together with the latest, which came about almost 26 years in the past.
New Zealand’s dwelling Take a look at towards India was deserted on day three due to persistent rain at Carisbrook Oval in Dunedin in December 1998.
A Take a look at at Carisbrook was additionally deserted in 1989 towards Pakistan — maybe not unusually given the town of Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island has round 167 days of rain per yr, for about 973mm of rain per yr.
England’s 1990 Take a look at at Georgetown in Guyana was additionally deserted with no ball being bowled.
Two ODI’s have been scheduled for what would have been the fourth and fifth days, with the primary of these additionally being deserted with no ball being bowled.
ABC/Wires
