Play abandoned for a second day in Afghanistan-New Zealand cricket test
GREATER NOIDA, India (AP) — Play in the one-off test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was abandoned without a ball bowled for a second consecutive day on Tuesday because of a wet outfield.
Day two developed in a similar fashion to Monday as the toss was first delayed while grounds staff worked to replace the top layer of the wet outfield with patches from practice areas. But it did not dry out sufficiently and an inspection was delayed again until 3 p.m. local time before play was called off again.
The toss is now scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday with play to begin 30 minutes later if the weather and conditions allow for it.
This is Afghanistan’s third cricket test in 2024, following once-off matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan is staging the match near India’s capital because it cannot host international cricket on home soil. The region has received incessant rainfall over the past week.
New Zealand is kicking off a three-month subcontinental tour that will involve a series against Afghanistan, two tests in Sri Lanka and then another three in India.
This first test between the two countries is not part of the 2025 World Test Championship.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
