Afghanistan vs New Zealand: ICC cannot sleep over pathetic ground conditions for ‘rained-out' Test match in Greater Noida

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Often, there is talk of Test cricket not being accorded top priority. With the explosion of T20 cricket leagues all over the world, Test cricket is fighting for its survival. There have been some interesting matches, off late, where Pakistan lost to Bangladesh at home and Sri Lanka pulled off a heist against England on Monday at The Oval.

All this is fine, Test cricket is riveting and the underdogs have won against all odds. How does one factor the poor treatment meted out to the Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test, which is being hosted by the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium in Great Noida, Uttar Pradesh, in India.

It is well known that unseasonal rains in North India have caught even the weatherman napping. However, choosing a non-descript venue as a Test centre suggests something is amiss. For the record, this Test is not part of the World Championship cycle, where India will hope to make the final next June (2025) in England.

How New Zealand agreed to play in Great Noida is a mystery. It is far from being a Test centre and with no proper covers, the vagaries of weather came into play. It looked comical on Tuesday as the ground staff was trying to use "grass patches" to get the ground ready. In addition, "fans" were being used to dry the ground.

From a safety point of view, a ground not fit for use is dangerous. These days, when players have made cricket such an athletic game and catches are taken brilliantly, underfoot conditions have to be perfect. No, the cricket stadium in Greater Noida is an apology. The latest on hears is, that if there is no rain on Tuesday night, there can be play on Wednesday.

Rewind to the days of the ICC Test Championship final in July 2021, when England threw India and New Zealand to play an important match in Southampton. It rained cats and dogs for almost five days and on the reserve days, Kane Williamson and his boys pulled off a big win. At that time, too, the lack of covers in Southampton was shocking and why England did not opt for a venue in and around London came in for massive flak.

Just because England did not figure in that key match did not mean they could treat it shabbily. Of course, last year, India vs Australia in the ICC Test Championship final saw Pat Cummins and his men win, again at The Lords.

Test cricket venues have been considered sacrosanct over the years. Apart from a good wicket, there is also respect for tradition and if the venue has hosted big matches in the past. All this seems to have been ignored for the Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test.

What is also surprising is how shoddy treatment has been given to Afghanistan, knowing fully well they have made India their cricket base for long, given the political situation back home. As a side that plays white ball cricket with passion and zeal, they deserved better. Not enough noise is being made over this gaffe in Greater Noida.

The custodians of cricket, the ICC - International Cricket Council - must take a look at how all this is being allowed. When there is a poor-quality pitch, as was witnessed during the ICC T20 World Cup in New York recently in June, there was flak for the hosts. The very concept of a drop-in pitch was bad and even the suburbs of New York which hosted a few key matches did not have proper covers. Is the commercialisation of the game a boon or bane? Will the ICC be a mute spectator to this charade in Greater Noida?