Exclusive: Afghanistan team unhappy with facilities in Greater Noida’s stadium, say ‘we will never come here again’

Afghanistan cricket team is not happy with the lack of facilities at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium, Greater Noida for the historic one-off Test against New Zealand. 
 

“There are no facilities. We will never come here again. Our preference will be Lucknow,” an Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) official told Sports Tak. 
 

“There are no basic facilities. There is complete mismanagement at the venue. Even the players are not happy with good, training facilities and everything”.
 

The start of the one-off Test was delayed due to wet outfield on September 9. 

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Shahidi wants a specific home venue in India

Earlier, Afghan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi had said that they need a dedicated home venue in India which will help them get an advantage over their opponents.
 

"India is our home, and when we host teams, other nations have played more cricket here," Shahidi told the reporters on the eve of the one-off Test against Tim Southee’s BlackCaps.
 

"Hopefully, we will get a good venue here in India and if we restrict ourselves to one venue, it will be effective for us. Hopefully, the ACB and the BCCI will get us a good venue." 
 

"If you see our records in first-class, it’s good because we play at our home ground. We know those conditions. Hopefully, in the future, there will be a time when the teams will travel to Afghanistan and our average will be higher," he added.

 

ALSO READ: 'From being troll-ed to taking full con-trol': RCB reacts to their pace trio's selection in India's Test squad for Bangladesh
 

Afghanistan have played a total of nine Tests since their debut in the format in 2018. They have two wins against Ireland, and one each against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe respectively. So far, they have played against six Test-playing nations including two-time World Test Championship (WTC) finalists India.

 

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Shahidi urges ACB, ICC for better exposure to Test cricket

Shahidi who has a Test double century to his name representing Afghanistan in eight out of the nine Tests the team has played wants to play more Test cricket. 
 

"In six years, nine games is not more. We are new in this format. We need more experience. If we get more chances on a regular basis, we will improve a lot,” the 29-year-old said.
 

"It’s in the hands of the ACB and ICC. When it comes to Test cricket, some players are different from those who play in the leagues."
 

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