NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s one-off test against New Zealand risks being abandoned without a ball being bowled after play was called off for the fourth consecutive day due to rain in India’s Greater Noida region.
Rain has lashed the region for the past two weeks and it was more of the same on Thursday when umpires called off play at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sport Complex.
With more rain forecast for the rest of the week, the contest looks likely to become just the eighth test to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Afghanistan play their home matches abroad due to security concerns for touring teams.
It is the first test to be played at the venue, which has hosted Afghanistan’s 11 ‘home’ limited-overs matches.
An Afghanistan Cricket Board official has said they preferred Greater Noida over two other venues in India because of its proximity to Delhi, which made travelling from Kabul easier.
Match referee Javagal Srinath’s report to the International Cricket Council (ICC) will determine if the venue would incur any sanctions from the governing body.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Peter Rutherford)
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