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Afghanistan vows to 'never return to Greater Noida' as stadium is a 'chaos'; ground staff dig up the ground in bizarre scenes

The one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, which incidentally has not yet started, is a mess. The sixth Test match was supposed to have already started but despite no rain, the two captains have not even turned up for the coin toss. The reason for this debacle seems to be the Greater Noida Sports Complex ground in the city, which is clearly not equipped for a Test match. From the lack of basic amenities in the press box – only tents that were moved due to complaints – to the inability of the ground staff to bring the ground into playing condition, everything is a mess, so much so that the players have not even arrived at the venue yet.

The Greater Noida stadium is in complete disarray (Getty/AFP)

The stadium in Greater Noida is Afghanistan's home ground. In December 2016, the ICC had given the green light to the stadium to host full-member matches, and although two ODIs and T20Is each were successfully played there between 2017 and 2020, the standard of the existing facilities is not up to par. The members of the Afghan Cricket Association are visibly upset, with some even vowing never to return to the venue again.

“This is a huge mess. We will never come here again. The players are also unhappy with the facilities here. We have spoken to the people concerned long in advance and the guys at the stadium have assured us that everything will be fine (as far as media facilities are concerned),” said an ACB official. “Nothing has changed since we have been here. It has not improved a bit,” said another.

Ground staff use bizarre tactics

Although the Test is not part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, it is still an international fixture. Things reached boiling point on Tuesday as ground staff rushed to make the game possible and resorted to desperate measures. Portable electric fans were used to dry the wet patches on the ground while, in one of the most bizarre scenes ever witnessed, some of the members went to the practice ground, ripped out the grass – a sheet – from there and transplanted it into the wet patches. This meant that parts of the ground had to be dug up, leaving spectators in utter disbelief.

Due to the ongoing problems in Afghanistan, the BCCI had offered the players cities like Lucknow and Dehradun for training. Initially, Afghanistan wanted to play this Test match in one of the two cities, but with local leagues being played in both Lucknow and Dehradun, Greater Noida was the only option available.

Ahead of the Test match, the Afghan captain had raised some concerns about the infrastructure of the venue. “India is our home and when we host teams, other nations have played more cricket here. Hopefully, we will get a good venue here in India and if we restrict ourselves to one venue, it will be effective for us. Hopefully, the ACB and BCCI will get us a good venue,” Hashmatullah Shahidi had said.

Despite not a single drop of rain, the ground and drainage remain disappointing. An official inspection is scheduled for 3pm local time, but it would not be a surprise if the second day is also a washout.

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