5 Tests which got washed out without a ball being bowled ft. IND vs NZ 1998
The one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand at Greater Noida has become a nightmare for cricket, especially Test cricket, fans. Despite no rain during the scheduled time, the opening two days were called off without a single ball being bowled.
Day 3 suffered the same consequence with play being abandoned even before the scheduled starting time due to heavy showers resulting in several puddles on the ground.
The Greater Noida stadium has been hogging the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past three days due to its poor facilities like the lack of availability of super-soppers to dry the ground, sufficient covers to protect the field of play, or well-trained ground staff.
With Test cricket already on a downward slide in popularity and viewership among the younger audience, such incidents further hamper the overall product.
Yet, while this Test match heads toward a complete washout with no play on all five days, this wouldn't be the first such occurrence. Rain has played spoilsport on Test matches in the past to the extent that no balls have been bowled throughout the fixture.
On that rather dull note, here are five Tests from the past that have been washed out without a ball being bowled.
#1 India vs New Zealand, 1st Test, 1998
![Consistent showers at Dunedin forced the Test match to be abandoned without a ball bowled [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/4892e-17260441618640-1920.jpg?w=500)
The last time a Test match was abandoned without a ball being bowled saw India taking on New Zealand in Dunedin. The first Test of India's tour of New Zealand in 1998-99 saw no play on the opening two days.
With rain continuing to play spoilsport, the match was abandoned on Day 3 without even the toss taking place. An unofficial one-day game was scheduled as a replacement on the fourth day.
New Zealand eventually won the series 1-0, courtesy of their win in the second Test at Wellington. The three-Test series was followed by a five-ODI affair that ended in a 2-2 draw with the third encounter called off when India was 89/2 in their run-chase of 212 in 32 overs.
#2 Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, 3rd Test, 1998
In one of the most bizarre occurrences in cricket, two Test matches in parallel suffered complete abandonment at the end of 1998. As India and New Zealand were getting set for the above-mentioned first Test on December 18, the third Pakistan-Zimbabwe Test was to begin on the previous day in Faisalabad.
However, no play was possible on all five days, resulting in the Test being abandoned without a ball being bowled. The result proved to be a dagger blow for Pakistan as they suffered an embarrassing 0-1 home series defeat to Zimbabwe.
The African side stunned the hosts in the first Test at Peshawar with a seven-wicket victory. They escaped with a draw in a rain-interrupted second Test before bad weather prevented play in the series finale.
#3 West Indies vs England, 2nd Test, 1990
England's 1989-90 tour of the West Indies will always be remembered more for rain spoiling the party over the action on the field. In the era when Tests and ODIs were alternated, the first two ODIs suffered no results after play was abandoned without the stipulated overs being bowled.
The weather in the Caribbean finally relented as the first Test and the third and fourth ODIs saw results with England winning the Test and West Indies the two ODIs.
However, the weather gods were back and made their presence felt in the second Test at Georgetown. With no play possible on the opening three days, a one-off ODI was scheduled for the fourth day but even that was washed out.
Eventually, the teams played an ODI on what was originally supposed to be Day 5 of the second Test with the West Indies winning by seven wickets.
Fortunately for cricket lovers, the rain stayed away for the final two Tests as the hosts completed a 2-1 victory in the four-test series.
#4 New Zealand vs Pakistan, 1st Test, 1989
Dunedin features in this dubious list for a second time with another Asian side starting their tour of New Zealand on a frustrating note. It was Pakistan's 1989 tour of New Zealand and once again the first Test suffered an abandonment without even the toss being conducted.
The officials called off the Test match on the third day due to heavy rains and a one-off ODI was instead scheduled on Day 4. New Zealand won that contest by eight wickets.
The second Test at Wellington had rivetting action but ended in a draw, resulting in a 0-0 two-match series.
#5 Australia vs England, 3rd Test, 1970
The third Test of the 1970/71 Ashes at Melbourne was the one instance on this list that saw the toss happen but no play. After the first two Tests ended in a draw, the series saw a hat-trick of stalemates after the Melbourne was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
However, with rain preventing the start of play as the players entered the field, the officials replaced the Test match with an ODI played on the scheduled Day 5. Incidentally, this was later recognized as the first-ever ODI game with Australia pulling off a five-wicket win.
The rained-off Test was rescheduled as an extra Test match later in the series, which also ended in a draw despite play taking place.
England eventually won what turned out to be a seven-Test series 2-0 with five draws.