Afghanistan vs New Zealand, 1st Test: Toss delayed due to wet outfield

Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 9 (ANI): The toss was delayed due to wet outfield in the one-off Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground on Monday.

The outfield was wet at the stadium in Greater Noida for which the game will be delayed. The next inspection will be at 10 am.

The Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand will be played from Monday, September 9 to Friday, September 13 at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground.

Star Afghan all-rounder Rashid Khan will miss the one-off Test against New Zealand due to a back injury. Earlier in July, Rashid sustained the injury while playing in Afghanistan’s domestic T20 tournament, the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL) for Speen Ghar Tigers (SGT).

Earlier on Thursday, the Black Caps have arrived in India with five spin-bowling options. Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell, and Glenn Phillips are in the spin department.

Earlier at the pre-match press conference before the match Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi talked about having at least “one good venue” for the team in India, a country which has played a big role in their development over the years. They have played their other home Tests in Dehradun, Lucknow, and in United Arab Emirates (UAE) Abu Dhabi.

“If you see, India is our home, and when we host teams, the other nations have played more cricket than us here,” Shahidi said while addressing the media.

“So hopefully we will get one good venue here in India, and we stick with that. If we stick with one venue, it will be more effective for us,” he added.

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 and 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 and Will Young.