Afghanistan vs New Zealand, One-Off Test Day 1, Live Updates: Afghanistan will be taking on New Zealand in the One-Off Test from Monday in Greater Noida, India. Three uncapped players — opener Riaz Hassan, all-rounder Shamsurrahman and pacer Khalil Ahmed — have been included in Afghanistan’s final 16-member squad. Star all-rounder Rashid Khan is not in the squad as he is recovering from an injury. New Zealand, led by Tim Southee, begin their South Asia tour against Afghanistan, ahead of two Test matches in Sri Lanka and three more in India. (Live Scorecard)
- !Update 7.34 am GMT – The sun is beating down but the officials have some concerns about a couple of patches on the ground. Still, waiting for an official confirmation about the next update, hopefully, we will get some action today. An inspection will take place at 8.30 am GMT.
- !Update 6.09 am GMT – The conditions remain to be dodgy and we have another inspection scheduled at 0730 GMT. Difficult to see the ground conditions improving. Despite all the sun beating down at the moment, difficult to dry it. Early Lunch has been taken as well.
- !Update 5.50 am GMT – An inspection will happen in less than 10 minutes. The rain has slowed down and the grounstaff are doing their work. Let’s hope we get some positive news. Fingers crossed.
- !Well, not the best of news to begin with! It was raining all night and the outfield has taken a real beating. The drainage here is not the best so the conditions are not at its best for the game to begin and hence, the TOSS HAS BEEN DELAYED! There’s going to be another inspection in around 30 minutes.
- !It is time for Day 1 of the first and only Test between Afghanistan and the Kiwis. A really good challenge for the hosts who haven’t had a lot of experience of the red ball. The Kiwis on the other hand, have done decently in this format. They are favourites yet again as they head into this encounter. Toss and teams in a bit.
- !… MATCH DAY …
- !Cricketing action continues all across the globe and now, Afghanistan welcome New Zealand for a one-off Test match in India. The Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground will play host to this historic Test match as the Kiwis embark on a journey of 6 Test matches in the next couple of months in the subcontinent, a first for them as they have never played more than three Tests in the subcontinent in the same year. Given New Zealand’s record of just 16 wins out of 90 in the subcontinent, Kane Williamson and his men will be itching to turn things around and pick up crucial away victories. Neither side has played a game since the T20 World Cup a few months ago now and Afghanistan will be looking to put the heartache of a semifinal loss behind them and start afresh. Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead Afghanistan as he has done in this format and Rashid Khan’s absence from the Test side continues as he has taken a break from the longest format of the game due to medical advice. With no Noor Ahmad or even Mujeeb in the team, Qais Ahmad becomes their lead spinner for this game. Zahir Khan is the other spinner who will have a big role to play with the inexperienced likes of Shams Ur Rahman and Zia-ur-Rehman also in the side. Ibrahim Zadran will be vital for them up top and the likes of Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah will provide stability in the middle order and Azmatullah Omarzai will be expected to be at his best in that all-rounder role which is pretty crucial to Afghanistan’s chances. New Zealand on the other hand seem to have a pretty strong squad, one that is fairly seasoned in playing in India. Skipper Kane Williamson will certainly will be the one to watch out for but the likes of Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra can all take the game away from the opposition on their own. The spin attack seems to be bolstered as well with the likes of Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel and Michael Bracewell in the mix and then the likes of Ravindra and even Glenn Phillips can roll their arm over and get crucial breakthroughs. On paper, New Zealand have a well-balanced side for such conditions and given the amount of newbies in the Afghan side, coupled with their frontline spinners missing from the squad, it will be difficult for the hosts to get the win. However, they have been prolific in subcontinental conditions and might just be able to give the Kiwis a run for their money. Who are you backing to clinch this exciting red-ball contest?
