The Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, Greater Noida (X.com)
The toss of the much-awaited one-off Test between New Zealand and Afghanistan at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, Greater Noida stands delayed due to wet outfield.
UPDATE: There are some wet patches on the outfield, delaying the play’s start. However, the sky has cleared as of now. The next inspection is scheduled at 14:00 IST and Local Time.
History Created; First-Ever Test Between AFG and NZ
This is the first-ever Test between New Zealand against Afghanistan who got their Test status in 2017.
Afghanistan, who have played 10 Tests so far, have endured defeats in their last three matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ireland. For New Zealand, this will be their first Test since March and it will kick off a busy couple of months in the subcontinent ending with a three-Test series against India in October-November.
No Rashid Khan- Ibrahim Zadran Magic vs NZ
Afghanistan’s star spinner Rashid Khan was left out of the country’s preliminary squad for the New Zealand Test series as doctors and physicians advised him to avoid playing the longer format.
Moreover, on Sunday, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed that just a day before the Test match, Ibrahim Zadran, unfortunately, sustained an ankle injury during the team’s final practice session ahead of the encounter.
Hence, the the two stars of the Hashmatullah Shahidi led-Afghanistan will not be featuring in this Test match.