Gary Stead bemoans lack of game time ahead of a busy test schedule that sees them play 5 tests in similar conditions.
Gary Stead, New Zealand’s head coach, has expressed his displeasure and frustrations after the abandonment of the test against Afghanistan.
This would have been New Zealand’s first test after a gap of 6 months, but it was not to be.
New Zealand now face a busy period where they play 5 tests in the Subcontinent. A 2-match series against Sri Lanka will be followed by a 3-match rubber against India.
Stead was hoping that this game would give them the game-time they needed to understand subcontinental conditions.
“It was upsetting to lose the opportunity to get match-ready when we go into our Test match next week.” Stead said.
“The guys are really disappointed. It was an opportunity to play Afghanistan. It doesn’t come around that often.
“They have some unique bowlers. It is always good to get your head around how you face them. The way they play is a little bit different to other countries. It’s always learning what you can do when you get in those match situations.”
“Even though it was fine for those two days, there were thunderstorms the nights before. The ground was just too soft and the umpires deemed that unfit to play on.”
There are currently no plans for New Zealand to play another Test match against Afghanistan as part of the Future Tours Programme cycle. The idea of playing more Test matches against Afghanistan appealed to Stead, who also praised their recent successes in white-ball cricket.
“I don’t make the decisions around the Future Tours Programme and big tours,” Stead said. But Afghanistan have knocked just about every top team in the world over now.
“So they’re certainly a force and becoming more and more of a force in world cricket. That’s something for the Afghanistan and New Zealand boards to get their heads around.”
“It was our first Test match against Afghanistan and we were really excited about that. They’ve been great competitors of ours over the last few World Cups. We’ve had some great games of cricket.”