Groundsmen prepare to cover the field during the scheduled one-off Test cricket match between Afghanistan v New Zealand at Greater Noida, India, 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
After five days of no play in Greater Noida Black Caps coach Gary Stead sat side-by-side with Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott as both men vented their "frustration" and "disappointment" at the one-off Test in India being abandoned.
The inaugural Test between the two countries became just the eighth Test in the nearly 150 years to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Ground staff at the Greater Noida cricket ground replace sodden sections of the outfield. Photo: Sky Sport
No play was possible on any of the five scheduled days due to a combination of a poor drainage system and wet weather at the ground near New Delhi.
The ground had never hosted a Test match before.
"To try and play a Test match this time of year [in India] is always tricky," Trott said.
"Personally I was disappointed we were very excited to play against New Zealand and put ourselves up against the challenge of that.
"The players had worked really hard we've been here and had warm up games and got ourselves accustomed to the conditions and the weather which is very very unique here ... unfortunately the weather has played its part and its made it difficult for us to get a game in."
Black Caps inspect the ground. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Afghanistan had trained on the square in the days leading up to Test and got a glimpse of the pitch they were supposed to play on.
Coming so close to getting a game was "heartbreaking", Trott said, but player safety had to be considered.
"What I hope it is is a good learning case that things can crop up and everything's got to be checked out and made sure that it is ready for Test match cricket.
"I think sometimes we take that for granted when we go and play that all these things have already been done in the past for other nations or other venues...with regards to drainage or ground staff and all those sorts of things."
Stead echoed Trott's thoughts on the match that was suppose to kick off six Test matches in the subcontinent for New Zealand.
"It's frustrating for us ... we have the World Test Championship just around the corner in Sri Lanka as well so the preparation towards that would have been really useful," Stead said.
Both coaches reiterated that the weather in Greater Noida over the last week had been "freakish" and not normal for this time of year.
"Twelve hundred millimeters of rain in a week is hard to imagine if you look out there now you can see just about the whole ground has been covered yet there is still water around everywhere," Stead said.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The fact that the Test, which was a 'home' match for Afghanistan, was scheduled for India was because of security concerns in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan gained Test match status in 2017 and have played nine Tests. Trott was eager for Afghanistan to lock-in a singular ground to host their Tests at.
"If you have one fixed venue then you can iron out the issues that would arise.
"This is maybe the result of not having played much Test cricket in the past and still trying to find a venue that we can use consistently so that would be nice."
Would both teams play a replay of this abandoned match? Stead and Trott both sung New Zealand's praises as a host but that would be a decision for the ICC and both the Afghanistan Cricket Board and New Zealand Cricket.
The Black Caps preparation for matches that will gain them World Test Championship points was limited to "lots of hallway cricket", Stead said.
"Lots of playing spin and things like that. Our guys have been in the gym and working away.
"That's the most disappointing part for us is we've lost that ability to be match hardened and match ready when we go into our Test match next week."
Trott said he wanted Afghanistan grow in the longest format of the game the same way they had developed in white ball cricket in recent years.
"We need to look after the game of Test cricket worldwide with regards to how it's perceived and I want to see Afghanistan have the sort of passion and desire in the red ball as much as it is in the white ball so I think it is attainable but like anything it's going to take time and its going to take a lot of effort and a lot of communication between the management and the players and coaches."
Not enough red ball cricket was played in Afghanistan, Trott said.
"The passion is there it's about now being able to match the passion with the ability to allow the players to enhance and get better at this format of the game."
