Afghanistan vs New Zealand, Only Test - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

08:50 Local Time, 03:20 GMT, 08:50 IST:"It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rains, the 5th and final day of Afghanistan vs New Zealand test has been also called off by the match officials." - update from Afghanistan Cricket Board. That's that then. Very unfortunate that it had to end this way. There will be a lot of questions raised now if they are not already about the scheduling and infrastructure of the ground. Afghanistan rarely play Test cricket and this was a great opportunity for them to face off against a strong New Zealand side, while for New Zealand this Test could have been used as a preparation for their WTC games against Sri Lanka and India in the subcontinent. Both teams would be disappointed and frustrated with the way things panned out. But they will be in action soon, Afghanistan take on South Africa in a 3-match ODI series in the UAE while New Zealand travel to Sri Lanka for a 2-Test series. And that's the final update from this game. Until next time, goodbye and stay safe..

08:45 Local Time, 03:15 GMT, 08:45 IST -- Day 5: Hello and welcome to the final day of what has been a damp and disappointing Test match. There has been no play for four days and it is very unlikely that we will see any today. There was lot to look forward to coming into this game but the weather and substandard ground conditions have denied us of any action. There was no rain for the first two days but the poor drainage didn't allow any cricket to happen, while it rained on days 3 and 4 making it near impossible to get play, in fact the days were abandoned very early on and we can expect something similar today. We should have news regarding the day's play soon. Stay tuned..

09:13 Local Time, 03:43 GMT, 09:13 IST: We have bad news. Day 4 has been abandoned as well. It is raining at the venue and the umbrellas are up. The covers are on and the conditions don't look great. "It will be the same tomorrow," says Andrew Leonard, who's working with the officical broadcaster. It will be disappointing for both teams; New Zealand came here to start their Asian sojourn which includes Tests against India and Sri Lanka, while Afghanistan rarely play Test matches and they would have been keen to face a strong New Zealand side. But alas there is not much we can do when nature has a say. We will be back tomorrow to mostly pull the plug on this game. For now, goodbye and stay safe..

For those wondering why we have not had a single ball in three days even though there was no rain during the scheduled playing hours on the first two days, here's Pratyush describing what is happening in Greater Noida

08:45 Local Time, 03:15 GMT, 08:45 IST: Is Day 4 going to be the lucky day? Hello and welcome.. It has been a damp three days for this one-off Test. The first two days were lost due to wet outfield while rain ensured day 3 was called off at 9:10 Local. So here are on day 4 hoping and praying to get some action. Pratyush, who's been giving us the updates of what is happening, pings - "It rained overnight in the area and there's very slight drizzle on at the moment. I'm still on my way to the venue but safe to assume that a venue with poor drainage would be struggling. The covers, which by the way protect more of the ground now, were heavily waterlogged yesterday and we could have a similar day at our hands. Nothing official though yet." Things looking bleak but we will wait for the official update. Stay tuned..

09:12 Local Time, 03:42 GMT, 09:12 IST: Andrew Leonard, a member of the commentary panel for this match, has mentioned on air that play has been abandoned for Day 3. Live visuals show that it's raining at the venue and most parts of the outfield is under covers. There are some uncovered areas on the outfield though and some big puddles of water have formed over there. Not the kind of news we were expecting but that's the way it is. There's more rain on the radar today as well as in the next two days. Disappointing news for the players and the fans alike but all we can do is hope that the weather clears up. Things look grim for this game though. Join us tomorrow nice and early and hopefully, we have some better news. Until next time, goodbye and cheers!

Our colleague, Pratyush, informs, that there have been heavy showers here this morning and there's no chance the toss is happening at 9am

08:43 Local Time, 03:13 GMT, 08:43 IST: BlackCaps have posted on their official handle on X (formerly known as Twitter) that there was more overnight rain in Noida. Likely further delays to the start of the Test on Day 3.

08:30 Local Time, 03:00 GMT, 08:30 IST -- Day 3 We have lost two entire days of this one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand. The toss also hasn’t taken place yet due to the wet outfield. The groundsmen have tried different methods to get the ground fit for play, but alas no play has been possible. The sun has shone brightly throughout the last two days but there was heavy rain for a couple of weeks preceding this game which caused the damage. There was also some overnight rain day before yesterday. It must be frustrating for the players but let’s hope we get some cricketing action today.

15:04 Local Time, 09:34 GMT, 15:04 IST: We have an official update - Day 2 of this Test match has been called off as well. That should be frustrating for both set of players. New Zealand players were out there having a practice session but alas the ground could not be ready for the actual game. The groundstaff worked hard; replaced the grass patches, used fans to dry the surface and the super soppers have been going around since yesterday. "According to the umpires there has been a lot of improvement but not enough to get some play. If there is no rain today then I genuinely believe we will have some play tomorrow," concludes Farveez Maharoof. On that note, it is time to wrap things up here. We will be back tomorrow hopefully with some action. Toss at 09:00 local and play to start at 09:30. See you then..

14:32 Local Time, 09:02 GMT, 14:32 IST: The next inspection is around half an hour away. Hopefully, we will have some better news

kumariyer: why is it not mandatory for all international grounds to have covers that cover the whole ground? lately most rain hit matches are delayed due to outfield rather than pitch. I would think it is a no brainer to cover the whole area -- well, sometimes it's not economically feasible to cover the entire ground. Also, a lot of manpower is required which some venues don't have

14:06 Local Time, 08:36 GMT, 14:06 IST: Some of the players from the NZ team are seen having a net session on the strip of pitch besides the main pitch. Meanwhile, the groundsmen continue to work on the areas of concern on the outfield

13:04 Local Time, 07:34 GMT, 13:04 IST: "NZ team is here. A lot of them are in chappals on the outfield. Herath has the spinners in tow and leading the practice on one of the side pitches" - that's the latest from Pratyush.

12:03 Local Time, 06:33 GMT, 12:03 IST: The inspection is done and there's no good news. Another one is scheduled for 15:00 local. The players have not even arrived at the ground and are still in their hotel. We have another 3 hours for the groundstaff to work on. Day 2 seems to be heading in the same direction as day 1. We'll be back when we have any update..

11:50 Local Time, 06:20 GMT, 11:50 IST: We are around 10 minutes away from inspection and Pratyush pings with more bad news -"The groundsmen have brought out the daris and covers and laid it by the side of the pitch. Maybe they anticipate some rain." Getting any play today looks bleak with every new update.

Pratyush reports from the venue: On the offside at a similar spot, they are using two fans face-down to dry the spot. From a distance, that spot looks as bad as the one they are 'operating' on at the moment

09:13 Local Time, 03:43 GMT, 09:13 IST: There is an inspection scheduled at 12:00 local. "It is the same story. We had a huge downpour last evening and we have some new (wet) patches to worry about. The area is around cover-point/ mid-wicket region. They are taking out the patch of grass and replacing it with new ones. This might work. But at the moment it is not looking promising," reports Farveez Maharoof.

08:55 Local Time, 03:25 GMT, 08:55 IST: Oh no! We have some bad news. Here's Pratyush with the latest ping - Unlikely to start on time. The groundsmen are digging up the square near the mid-on area at the pavilion end which was a trouble spot all through yesterday and it must not have helped that it poured last night."

08:35 Local Time, 03:05 GMT, 08:35 IST -- Day 2: It was a damp start to this one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand. We couldn't even have the toss due to the wet outfield. The weather was fine with the sun out the whole day but the rains from the last couple of weeks had done the damage and the groundstaff?could not get the ground ready. Hopefully it is better today and we can have some action. The two teams have waited long and will be eager to get on with things. Our colleague, Pratyush, informs "It's sunny at the moment." That's good news. The toss is scheduled to take place at 09:00 local and the game to begin at 09:30. We are keeping our fingers crossed for an ontime start.

Afghanistan Cricket Board have posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that toss will take place at 9.00am local time and the game is scheduled to begin at 9.30am local time tomorrow, weather permitting. Both the umpires, Kumar Dharmasena and Sharfuddoula, mentioned that the players' safety was the main concern and the ground was not fit enough for play today. They stated that from tomorrow onwards for the next four days, there will be an extra half an hour of day’s play with play starting at 9.30am local time. On that note, we bid you goodbye. Join us tomorrow nice and early. Until next time, goodbye and cheers!