A gloomy debut for Test cricket's newest venue in Greater Noida

A gloomy debut for Test cricket’s newest venue in Greater Noida

Posted by Admin September 9, 2024 Cricket

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The umpires conducted six inspections of the ground over the course of the day before play was called off around 4pm local time.

“When you compare it with 10am till now, there’s an improvement but we’re worried about five to six patches inside the 30-yard circle,” Kumar Dharmasena, one of the two on-field umpires, told the host broadcaster at the end of the day. “One area of the run-up does not look comfortable. It’s a player-safety issue. We even saw one player get injured yesterday as well, we know how hard it is. Both of us are concerned.”

The player Dharmasena is referring to is Afghanistan’s opening batter Ibrahim Zadran, who hurt his left heel when he slipped while fielding on Sunday. The injury ruled him out of this Test and Afghanistan’s ODI series against South Africa starting September 18. Playing in sub-standard conditions is a risk international cricketers cannot afford to take.

The futility of Monday was not surprising, considering the state of the venue on the eve of the match. Even though there was not much rain overnight, and none at all during the day, the sub-par drainage system at the venue meant the damage to the outfield couldn’t be swiftly repaired.

The ground-staff tried, but they didn’t have much to work with. They used the roller on the bowlers’ run-ups and attempted to dry wet patches on the square with sawdust. These efforts were repeated frequently with little impact.

An Afghanistan team official told ESPNcricinfo the players were unhappy with the facilities at the venue and it’s possible that they may not want to play in Greater Noida in the future. He also said Afghanistan had wanted this Test to be played in Lucknow, Dehradun or Kanpur. But that was not possible because Lucknow and Dehradun are hosting T20 leagues, and the stadium in Kanpur is being readied for the second Test between India and Bangladesh later this month.

Afghanistan have played 11 ODIs and T20Is in Greater Noida before but the facilities here are not up to international standard. On the eve of the game, their captain Hashmatullah Shahidi wished his team could have “one good home venue” in India instead of going from place to place. Afghanistan do not play their home games in Afghanistan and have played their ten Tests at nine different venues.

The facilities for the public weren’t good in Greater Noida either: entry was free but there was no proper seating in the scorching heat. The media covering the Test had no access to water or food initially.

The toss has been advanced by 30 minutes to 9am on Tuesday, with a minimum of 98 overs to be bowled on the remaining four days of the Test. The forecast, however, is for thunderstorms on Tuesday morning, which could create more heat for the organisers despite the gloomy weather in Greater Noida.