ICC might suspend this India venue for lengthy period - Check details

The historic one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand held at the Greater Noida Sports Complex did not get to see a single ball being bowled even after four days. Persistent rain, poor drainage system, and the lack of resources did not allow the game to proceed and as a result, even the Day 4 play was called off on September 12 morning. Even the ground staff failed to cover the entire ground to prevent it from the heavy downpour.

The ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process applies to all venues hosting a match. After each match, the referee has the job of completing the Pitch and Outfield Report Form and sending it to the ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager, which is 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 particular match. This will be followed to review the Noida stadium as well.

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If the conditions of the venue force the Match Referee has cause to rate the pitch and/or outfield as Unsatisfactory or Unfit, Demerit Points will be imposed upon the Venue as outlined in the guidelines for rating pitches and outfields. If it is unsatisfactory, 1 demerit point will be imposed and if it is rated unfit then the number of demerit points will go up to 3. If a Venue accumulates six (6) or more Demerit Points, it will not have its accreditation to host an International Match. The demerit points remain active for five years and if during that period a venue gets 6 Points, its accreditation will be suspended for a period of 12 months and if the points go to 12, it will suspended for 2 years.

There are chance that the ICC referee may give demerit points to both the pitch and ground (3 for the pitch and 3 for the ground), so this same process will be followed to give demerit points to Noida stadium. If declared unfit with 6 points, it will suffer suspension. There are chances that the Referee may also mention about basic facilities in its reports.

However, as the venue did not even see a single ball being delivered, there is a very unlikely chance of it being rated unfit and a similar thing might also come into consideration for the outfield. The referee also considers the amount of rain that the game venue witnessed which could have led to those conditions.

On to the match, if Day 5 is called off as well, it would be the first instance in 26 years where a Test match would be abandoned without the toss and ball being bowled. The last time it happened, it was back in 1998 during the India vs New Zealand clash in Carisbrook, Dunedin.

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