AFG vs NZ Test: Noida venue fiasco leaves the BCCI red-faced by default

From being on the verge of making history as the venue to host the first-ever Afghanistan versus New Zealand Test, the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida near Delhi now looks set to be blacklisted by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In the bargain, it has left the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), one of the biggest benefactors of Afghanistan cricket, rather embarrassed.

The fate of the venue largely hinges on match referee Javagal Srinath’s report, and it’s a no-brainer that he was privy to some really embarrassing sights over last three days. While the first two days of the match were called off owing to poor outfield conditions and rain, the third day on Wednesday was a washout.

From the catering staff caught washing utensils in toilets to using table fans to dry patches of grass and moving dry turf from the practice area onto the field, Greater Noida Authority officials cut a sorry figure.

If that was not enough, the stadium management had reportedly requested Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) for a couple of super soppers, which they sent from their Meerut stadium for logistical purposes. Canopies normally used for weddings were used to cover the outfield and in the evening, when heavy rains began, stadium staff used tarpaulin as Delhi District Cricket Association authorities were rushing their outfield cover from Kotla.

'Even Afghanistan has better facilities'

Officials of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), who enjoy cordial relations with the BCCI, are disappointed but have been forced to tread carefully on the issue. "You won’t believe me but the stadia in Afghanistan have better facilities than this one. We have improved our infrastructure in the past few years. Our first choice was the Lucknow Stadium and the second was Dehradun. Our requests were rejected by the BCCI and we were told that both the states are hosting their respective T20 leagues. This was the only ground available and we had no choice,’’ an ACB official was quoted as saying.

This could well point fingers at the responsible committees of the BCCI, though an unconfirmed report says they had given the Afghanistan board a few options including Kanpur, Bengaluru and Greater Noida. The ACB opted for Greater Noida for logistical reasons, the reports added.

As per the ICC pitch and outfield monitoring process which came into effect in November 2023, ‘’After each Match, the Match Referee (Srinath in this case) will complete a Pitch and Outfield Report Form and send it to the ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager.’’

The pitch and outfield report form will be compiled using the guidelines for rating pitches and outfields and, where required, will include comments on the pitch and outfield from the captains of the two teams who played and the umpires who officiated in the relevant match.

The ICC clause says: ‘’If the conditions are such that the Match Referee has cause to rate the pitch and/or outfield Unsatisfactory or Unfit, a corresponding number of Demerit Points will be imposed upon the Host Venue as outlined in the guidelines for rating pitches and outfield.’’ Demerit Points will remain active for a rolling five-year period.

If the Greater Noida venue accumulates a total of six or more demerit points, its accreditation to host international matches will be suspended for a period of 12 months.

However, if both pitch and outfield are deemed ‘unfit’ by the match referee for a single Test match, then it will receive three demerit points, and it will take one more such game to get the venue suspended.