Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test match makes history, called off with no play possible in five days

Afghanistan's one-off Test against New Zealand has joined some select company in the sport's history — for all the wrong reasons.

The match, scheduled to take place at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sport Complex in Greater Noida, near Delhi, became just the eighth match in the format's history to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.

There have been 2,549 Test matches in the format's 147-year history.

The first ever Test scheduled between the sides looked doomed from the start due to steady rain for over two weeks in the region.

A combination of falling rain and, when that stopped, a persistently wet outfield, ended any hope of play.

It was Afghanistan's third Test in 2024, following one-off matches against Ireland and a 10-wicket loss to Sri Lanka.

There was controversy over New Zealand's decision to play Afghanistan in a Test, after Australia withdrew from a three match T20 series on government advice.

"Over the past 12 months, CA has continued to consult with the Australian government on the situation in Afghanistan," Cricket Australia said upon announcing the withdrawal from the series.

"The government's advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse.

"For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan."

Afghanistan is the only full member of the International Cricket Council to not have a women's cricket team after it was disbanded following the Taliban takeover in 2021.

Afghanistan's women's cricketers in Australia Photo shows Five Afghanistan women's cricketers take a selfie while sitting on a bench in Melbourne. Most of the women who should be playing cricket for Afghanistan have resettled in Australia since the Taliban took over the country, but they are disappointed by a lack of support from the International Cricket Council.

Australia has continued to play Afghanistan in World Cups.

The team will play three one-day internationals against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates beginning September 18.

Afghanistan play their home matches abroad due to security concerns for touring teams.

The Afghan board preferred Greater Noida — which was set to host its first ever Test match — over two other venues in India because of its proximity to Delhi, which made travelling from Kabul easier.

New Zealand next plays a two-Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle on September 18.

It then returns to India for a three-Test series against India in October.

When have Tests been abandoned without a ball being bowled before?

Rain is the bane of a cricketer's existence. (Getty Images: Morgan Hancock)

The first such instance of a game being abandoned without a ball being bowled was an Ashes Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, in 1890.

Tests abandoned without a ball being bowled: England vs Australia, Old Trafford, 1890 England vs Australia, Old Trafford, 1938 Australia vs England, MCG, 1970 New Zealand vs Pakistan, Dunedin, 1989 West Indies vs England, Guyana, 1990 Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, Faisalabad, 1998 New Zealand vs India, Dunedin, 1998 Afghanistan vs New Zealand, Greater Noida, 2024

Ashes Tests have been affected three times in total by the weather making play impossible.

The second instance also occurred at Old Trafford in 1938, with the third taking place in Melbourne in 1970.

New Zealand has featured in abandoned Tests three times, including the most recent, which took place nearly 26 years ago.

New Zealand's home Test against India was abandoned on day three because of persistent rain at Carisbrook Oval in Dunedin in December 1998.

A Test at Carisbrook was also abandoned in 1989 against Pakistan — perhaps not unusually given the city of Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island has around 167 days of rain per year, for about 973mm of rain per year.

England's 1990 Test at Georgetown in Guyana was also abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Two ODI's were scheduled for what would have been the fourth and fifth days, with the first of those also being abandoned without a ball being bowled.

ABC/Wires

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