Afghanistan's historic one-off Test match against New Zealand got off to a frustrating start as the first day of play on Monday (September 9) at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium in Greater Noida was washed out without a single ball bowled. In fact, the toss is yet to take place, and the match is now effectively reduced to a four-day encounter.

This game is a monumental occasion in the history of Afghanistan cricket, as they are playing a Test match against New Zealand for the first time in history. For New Zealand, it is the perfect preparation for them ahead of two vital away tours in the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC), as they are set to play two Test matches away to Sri Lanka before returning to India for a massive three-match series.

Hence, the lack of play on the first day was a disappointing outcome for both teams. While rain delays are part and parcel of cricket, the frustration on Monday came from the fact there was no rain in Noida but yet no play was possible due to the wet outfield, which could not be patched up despite bright sunshine on the first day of the match.

According to a report by SportsTak, the Afghanistan team, who are the hosts of the match, were left unhappy with the facilities provided to them and have decided not to pick the venue again. Their complaints were not limited to just the rain delay; the training facilities and food have also come into question.

“There are no facilities. We will never come here again. Our preference will be Lucknow. There are no basic facilities. There is complete mismanagement at the venue. Even the players are not happy with food, training facilities and everything," an Afghanstan Cricket Board (ACB) official was quoted saying by SportsTak.

For those unversed, Afghanistan have previously played 5 ODIs and 6 T20Is at the venue, but this is the first time the Greater Noida facility is hosting a Test match. The Rising Asian Stars have previously hosted two Test matches in India, where they played Ireland at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun and the West Indies at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

The devlopment comes just a day after Afghanistan captain Hasmatullah Shahidi pleaded for their team to be provided 'one good home venue' in India.

"If you see, India is our home and when we host teams, the other nations have played more cricket than us here. 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.

"And one more thing, if you see our players, they have good record in first-class cricket because we play in our own grounds [in Afghanistan]. We know our own conditions very well. So hopefully that time comes in future that teams come to Afghanistan. Then our average will be even higher than what it is right now and hopefully our cricket board and BCCI give a good venue for us in India and we play a lot of cricket in one venue," said Shahidi in a press conference.

Apart from India, Afghanistan also host teams in the Untied Arab Emirates (UAE) . Apart from the three grounds in India, they have also played their home Tests in Abu Dhabi at the Sheikh Zayad Stadium and the Tolerence Oval.

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