Afghanistan returned to their Indian home ground in Greater Noida on Thursday to find overnight rain ruined their first training session, hindering their preparations for the one-off Test match against New Zealand.
Afghanistan cricket will mark a milestone with this September 9 Test match. The squad wants to maximise their preparatory camp for their first visit to this location in four years.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi expressed severe doubts about the team’s training. Players including starter Ibrahim Zadran appeared uneasy due to the waterlogged turf.
Pitcher curator Amit Sharma has been painstakingly preparing the venue. Sharma, who has worked at Greater Noida since 2013, discussed the joy of hosting a Test match and the challenges after overnight rain.
“The overnight storm blew away the stadium covers we left last Wednesday evening. When I woke up, I ran to the venue after the security guy sent me a video, he told News18.
If the weather holds off, the game will be great: Amit Sharma
Table fans are drying pitches and truck tires are weighting down covers to prevent storms from blowing them away. Keeping the rain away would make the game wonderful. We constructed a good black soil strip to ensure ball-to-ball competition.
Everything on the pitch is under my control, but not the weather. Check online that it will rain every day till September 8 ‘added. Sharma said his staff works tirelessly preparing the ground. They’re also adding 10-15 staff to help run the historic Test match.
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A team of 8-10 works here. However, 10-15 men will join us before the game. The hustling has begun. We can’t relax till the first ball is bowled, he said.
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