Afghanistan will host New Zealand for their first-ever Test match in September at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida, according to a Times of India report.
Afghanistan will play in Greater Noida for the first time since 2020. Reportedly, BCCI has allotted three home venues to Rashid Khan’s team – Greater Noida, Kanpur and Lucknow.
Between 2017 and 2020, Afghanistan has played several matches on the Indian soil across all three formats. In 2021, after the collapse of the Afghan government, the Taliban took over imposing restrictions on sports for women. BCCI became the first cricket board to lend support to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan was originally scheduled to play white-ball matches and two Tests in Greater Noida in July. However, the series was postponed owing to the intense weather conditions in North India.
In contrast to New Zealand’s stance, their neighbor Australia has refused to participate in three bilateral series with Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in 2021.
