GREEN PARK'S GRASS LESS GREEN THAN OTHER SIDE

Play called off for the second consecutive day on Sunday due to wet outfield leaving thousands of fans frustrated

- FIROZ MIRZA

EARLIER this month, a one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was abandoned without a ball being bowled at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, Greater Noida. The decision came on the fourth day as wet outfield prevented any action on the field. It raised serious questions over the preparedness of the venue.

The Greater Noida Authority, which comes under the Uttar Pradesh government, owns the stadium and was supposed to provide all facilities to Afghanistan, the hosts. Ironically another venue in the state, the iconic Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, owned by the sports directorate of the UP government, seems to be going the same way.

Stakes here, however, are high. Unlike the AfghanistanNew Zealand match, the ongoing contest between India and Bangladesh is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and anything other than a win for the hosts could affect their chances of making it to the final for the third consecutive time.