Where's the outrage?
An attempt to address the question of why we're not marching against the Black Caps playing Afghanistan. PLUS: A coach weeps and Sweet Spot winner announced.
The inaugural test between New Zealand and Afghanistan, hosted in Noida, India, has turned into an A-grade farce.
Perhaps it is better like this.
There was no play possible in bright sunshine on days one and two and rain washed out any chance of play on day three before the scheduled start time. At the risk of being proven a liar in a few hours, a test abandoned without a ball being bowled seems a far more likely outcome than a two-day match.
In purely cricketing terms this is inexcusable, despite the myriad excuses put forward here. With the drainage and turf technology available in this day and age, you should be able to watch Noah depart on his ark and have a restart in 30 minutes.
Test cricket is supposed to be the highest form of the game. It should never be played on substandard facilities.
Major League Baseball does not provide the perfect comparison due to cricket’s requirement for a pitch as well as an outfield, but the contrast in attitude between the two is stark.
When the rain stops, “pull the tarp off and play ball” is the credo of MLB, twisted ankles, hurt feelings and, erm, wet balls be damned. Cricket, meanwhile, remains the only sport where its umpires and officials actively look for reasons not to play.
“Ooh, look, a damp patch!”
When you look at what’s happening in Noida and some of the decisions concerning the light in the recent test between England and Sri Lanka, you can only conclude that cricket remains its own worst enemy.
If you believe in karma, however, perhaps this is the best thing that could have happened given that many believe we should not be playing Afghanistan. The rain, as it stands, has rinsed away all possible sins.