Afghanistan’s match at Greater Noida stadium set to create records

The picturesque Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida, set against the backdrop of modern high-rises, will host a one-off Test match when the ‘host’ Afghanistan take on New Zealand. In the process, the sports complex will become the 124th venue and Greater Noida the 95th city to host an international Test cricket match.

Despite playing away from home, Afghanistan is considered the ‘host’ of this match, as the current political situation in their country prevents them from hosting international games. In addition to India, Afghanistan also plays its ‘home’ matches in the UAE, Qatar, and Sri Lanka.

This will be the first-ever Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand; thus, the encounter assumes significance, more so for the Asian country.

The Afghans will be playing their 10th Test match since gaining full member status of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2017. They have won three of the nine matches played so far.

New Zealand will be playing their 471st match – the difference is huge.

The Greater Noida stadium will become the second cricket stadium in India to host its inaugural Test match without the Indian team participating in the game. This will be the second occasion in which Afghanistan will play the inaugural Test match at a newly introduced venue in India.

The other venue where Afghanistan played the inaugural Test as the ‘host’ was the Ekana International Stadium in Lucknow in 2019. Afghanistan lost that match to the West Indies by nine wickets in just two days, though they have since improved their performance significantly.

Ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who captained Afghanistan in the 2019 Lucknow Test, will miss the match against New Zealand due to medically advised rest. Top-order batsman Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead Afghanistan, while 35-year-old medium-pacer Tim Southee will be the New Zealand captain.

For those interested in numbers, the Greater Noida stadium will make Noida the 23rd city in India to host a Test match.  Additionally, the stadium will become the 30th ground in India to host a Test match.

It will be the second Test venue in the National Capital Region, the other being the historic Ferozeshah Kotla ground, which has hosted 35 Tests since 1948.

‘Home’ turf for the Afghans

Facing the fourth-best test team in the world will be a daunting task for Shahidi and his players.

But there might be a glimmer of hope for the Afghans as they are well-acquainted with the Greater Noida Stadium, having played five one-day internationals (and winning three) and six T20 Internationals (with five wins) at the venue since 2017.

Former India opening batsman Lalchand Rajput, who coached Afghanistan eight years ago, remarked, “Afghanistan knows every nook and cranny of the Greater Noida Stadium. However, this familiarity offers only a slight advantage.”

“It’ll be a big challenge for Afghanistan to switch from playing white-ball cricket [T20s and ODIs] to red-ball cricket,” Rajput, who has also coached India, told Patriot.

“They’ll need to adapt to the five-day format, which demands more mental resilience, intent, a positive attitude, and strong body language.”

Rajput, 62, added, “New Zealand plays a lot of Test matches, including in India, and their players participate in the IPL. So, it won’t be a disadvantage for the Kiwis.”

Hiccups before showdown 

The Afghanistan cricket team chose the venue as it is close to New Delhi, and has world-class hotels and an international airport.

But, since the stadium is managed by the local authorities and not a state cricket association, it does not get to host international matches regularly. Therefore, the stadium is not as well-equipped as, for example, Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.

It lacks modern equipment and sufficient manpower, which are common at international venues elsewhere in India.

The Afghan cricketers discovered this shortcoming during their preparatory camp in the lead-up to the Test match when rainwater left the ground heavily drenched and affected their practice schedule.

As part of its preparation, Afghanistan played a three-day practice match against a hastily assembled team of players from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Stadium manager Hare Krishna said that one of the pitches in the central square was used for the practice game.

“We have seven pitches in the square and one of them will be used for the Test. The practice game was played on a different one,” Krishna told Patriot.

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“We have been getting the ground ready for the Test match for about a month. No other match has been played at the stadium for a month as part of the preparation.”

Since Afghanistan is the ‘host’ country for this Test match, it is the responsibility of the  Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to get the venue in top shape. All the work – from pitch/ground preparation to the quality of dressing rooms – has been done on its behalf.

As has become customary lately, recce teams from Afghanistan and New Zealand visited the ground and the team hotel, located in Greater Noida, in August to examine the facilities and, if necessary, point out deficiencies.

“The New Zealand recce team comprised Heath Mills, CEO of the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association and executive chairman of the World Cricketers’ Association,” said Krishna.

The India-Afghanistan Bond

Afghanistan has been using the Greater Noida Stadium for practice and matches following a few tripartite MoUs signed between ACB, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, which owns the stadium, over the years. The MoUs, facilitated by the BCCI and backed by the Indian government, were signed in 2015, 2016, and this year.

Afghanistan has also played international matches at their other ‘home’ bases in India – Dehradun and Lucknow. While the Ekana International Stadium in Lucknow boasts the best facilities among the three venues, Greater Noida is more convenient for logistical reasons. Despite the pleasant weather in Dehradun, logistics pose a challenge in the Uttarakhand capital.

Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan noted the similarity between the weather in Dehradun and certain venues in Afghanistan.

“In places like Jalalabad and Kandahar, the weather is exactly the same as in Dehradun. So, we can’t tell whether we’re playing in Afghanistan or Dehradun,” he told this reporter during the multi-format series against Ireland at the scenic Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in 2019.

Overall, the Afghan cricketers are a friendly bunch, easily mingling with the local people. They’re also big fans of Hindi movies.

“My favourite actors are Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta, and Anushka Sharma. They are very popular in Afghanistan as well. There are many followers in Afghanistan who eagerly await new Bollywood releases,” Rashid Khan once told this reporter.

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi and has covered sports for over three decades.)