Rain Delays Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test Match in Greater Noida
The one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground has faced significant delays due to rain. The first four days of the match were abandoned without even a toss taking place.
Star Afghan all-rounder Rashid Khan is missing the match due to a back injury he sustained in July while playing in Afghanistan’s domestic T20 tournament, the Shpageeza Cricket League, for Speen Ghar Tigers.
New Zealand’s team arrived in India with five spin-bowling options: Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell, and Glenn Phillips.
Afghan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi spoke about the importance of having a consistent home venue in India, a country that has significantly contributed to their cricket development. He mentioned that having one good venue in India would be more effective for the team.
Squads
Afghanistan
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Ikram Alikhil (WK), Shahidullah Kamal, Gulbadin Naib, Afsar Zazai (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ziaurrahman Akbar, Shamsurrahman, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Nijat Masoud, Farid Ahmad Malik, Naveed Zadran, Khalil Ahmad, Yama Arab.
New Zealand
Tim Southee (C), Tom Blundell (WK), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (VC), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
Doubts Revealed
Test match -: A Test match is a type of cricket game that lasts up to five days. Teams play two innings each, and the game is considered the longest format of cricket.
Greater Noida -: Greater Noida is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is near the capital city, New Delhi.
Rashid Khan -: Rashid Khan is a famous cricketer from Afghanistan. He is known for his excellent spin bowling.
toss -: A toss in cricket is when the team captains flip a coin to decide which team will bat or bowl first.
Hashmatullah Shahidi -: Hashmatullah Shahidi is the captain of the Afghanistan cricket team. He leads the team in matches and makes important decisions.
consistent home venue -: A consistent home venue means having a regular place to play home matches. The Afghan captain wants a fixed stadium in India where they can always play their home games.
spin-bowling -: Spin-bowling is a type of bowling in cricket where the bowler makes the ball spin. This makes it harder for the batsman to hit the ball.
