Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test called off

In a historic first for Indian cricket, an international Test match has been abandoned without a single ball being bowled. The Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test match scheduled to be played in Noida was called off due to persistent rain and inadequate ground facilities. This marks the first such instance in 91 years of cricket history on India soil, with the last occurrence dating back to 1933.

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This is only the second instance in Asia where a Test match has been abandoned without a ball being bowled. The previous occurrence was in 1998 during a Pakistan vs Zimbabwe match in Faisalabad. Globally, this marks the seventh instance of a Test match being abandoned without a ball being bowled. The relentless rain left the ground unplayable, and the lack of adequate facilities, including super sopper's, made it impossible to prepare the ground for the match.

In recent years, India has been hosting Afghanistan's home Test matches. While BCCI had offered venues in Kanpur and Bengaluru, the Afghanistan Cricket Board opted for Noida due to its accessibility.

The one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was not part of the World Test Championship. New Zealand will now travel to Sri Lanka for a two- Test series before returning to India next month for a three Tests. New Zealand are currently occupying third spot in the WTC standings, with a PCT of 50. India and Australia sit at the first and second position respectively. The top two teams at the end of the cycle will face off in the final at Lords on June 2025. 

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• Afghanistan vs New Zealand
• Test Match
• Cricket
• Rain Delay
• Abandoned Match
• Noida
• India