New Zealand vs Afghanistan Test Match Abandoned the New Zealand’s head coach Gary Stead said that he was greatly disappointed. Earlier planned as a warm up match to prepare the team for the subcontinent condition prior to the series of Sri Lanka and India, the match was abandoned without any gameplay due to continuous rains and water logging problems on the ground located in Greater Noida.
‘The one thing that likely hurt most was the failure to utilize the opportunity to prepare for a match, ahead of our Test series with Sri Lanka next week,’ said Stead at the post-match press briefing. “It was particularly a privilege to be able to play against Afghanistan and we were very disappointed“As for their bowlers, theya re quite different and knowing how to handle such would have been important.
Despite the one-off Test not being included in the World Test Championship, Stead said that the team was still “frustrated. “ “The World Test Championship is important for us,” he said, adding that the pitches became too wet because of the thunderstorms during the previous nights, hence the refusal to play by the umpires.
Afghanistan would be a favorable opponent in future games, according to Stead, because of their recent performance: they beat New Zealand at the T20 World Cup 2024. Afghanistan has performed well against the major sides and remains a powerful side in the world cricket The Test was expected and it is sad that the match did not come through.”
As New Zealand continue to eye their place in the World Test Championship final, Stead stays positive. At the moment, we are third, and our goal is to get to the finals once more; We must perform under different climates in Asia and develop upon the experiences we have.
Also Read: NZ vs AFG Test: Day 1 Abandoned Due to Rain