AFG vs NZ: Greater Noida Stadium to be banned? Javagal Srinath's report to seal its fate

The Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh has come under massive scrutiny. The venue, which is host to the one-off Test between the Afghanistan National Cricket Team and the New Zealand National Cricket Team might be on the verge of getting banned.

As per the reports on PTI, it is learned that match referee Javagal Srinath will be deciding the fate of the Greater Noida stadium. The report given by him at the end of the match between Afghanistan and New Zealand will be the deciding factor for the venue if it will host games or not.

The reports claimed that the Greater Noida venue, which has seen a lot of criticism due to poor facilities and outfield, has nothing to do with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The governing body isn't responsible for the mess as the 'home board' is the Afghanistan Cricket.

The BCCI isn't involved in a Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand. It was the Afghanistan Cricket Board's choice to pick the venue. They opted for the venue in Greater Noida and hence the authority there was supposed to provide them with international standard facilities.

Afghanistan Cricket Board was also given the option to play in Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and Green Park in Kanpur

The Afghanistan Cricket Board was also given the option to play in Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and Green Park in Kanpur. However, there were reports which claimed that the governing body themselves opted to play in Greater Noida as they wanted to make money.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has completely neglected the Greater Noida venue. They haven't hosted any of its domestic games here since 2019 (Vijay Hazare Trophy). As per the reports, it is learned that the governing body is unlikely to host one in the near or distant future in these substandard conditions.

The International Cricket Council will be following its standard protocol for any given international venue. On account of the report given by the match referee, the global body will take a further course of action.

As per the ICC 'Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process': "After each Match, the Match Referee (Srinath in this case) will complete a Pitch and Outfield Report Form and send it to the ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager."

The report prepared by the match referee Javagal Srinath will include comments on the pitch and outfield from the captains of the two teams who played and the umpires who officiated in the relevant match. So far no play has been possible on the first two days of the game.

The drainage conditions of the ground are also not at par with other international venues. With heavy rain on Tuesday evening as well, the chances of play on Day 3 also look very less. It remains to be seen what will be the future of the game.