Despite the anticipation surrounding Afghanistan's historic Test against New Zealand, the match has been severely affected by weather conditions, with no play in the first three days due to a wet outfield at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground. This has left fans questioning why this one-off Test isn’t part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.
The Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test, scheduled to begin on September 9, has been delayed due to a damp outfield, with insufficient drainage, ground covers, and inexperienced ground staff contributing to the likelihood of a washout. However, even if the match had progressed as planned, it wouldn’t have influenced the WTC standings, and here’s why.
Afghanistan is not one of the nine teams participating in the WTC 2023-25 cycle. Despite gaining Test status in 2017, Afghanistan, along with Ireland and Zimbabwe, has been excluded from the current WTC cycle due to the limited number of red-ball games scheduled for them. As a result, this bilateral Test against New Zealand, though important for Afghanistan, does not contribute to the WTC points table.
New Zealand, currently third in the WTC standings, will next play a two-Test series against Sri Lanka before heading to India for three more Tests. While the Afghanistan Test won’t affect their WTC campaign, the upcoming series will be critical in their pursuit of a spot in the WTC final.