List of all test cricket matches to get abandoned without a ball being bowled

The first test match to get abandoned without a ball being bowled involved England and Australia.

Test cricket is known for its gruelling battles between bat and ball. There have been several instances where the matches have produced nail-biting finishes.

However, some rare instances have occurred where not a single ball has been bowled in a test match and the whole match has been abandoned even without the toss taking place. These rare incidents have been caused by heavy rainfalls and wet outfields.

In this article, let’s take a look at instances where a whole match was abandoned without a single delivery being bowled.

List of test matches abandoned without a ball being bowled:

1. England vs Australia, Old Trafford, Manchester, 1890

The first-ever test match that was abandoned without a delivery being bowled was between England and Australia in Manchester in 1890. The last test match of the three-match series was abandoned without any ball bowled. Host England won the three-match series by 2-0. 

2. England vs Australia, Old Trafford, Manchester, 1938

When Australia toured England in 1938 for the four-match test series, the third match at the Old Trafford stadium was abandoned without a ball being bowled, making it the second instance in the longest format.

3. Australia vs England, Melbourne Cricket Ground, 1970-71

Another such game involving Australia and England was during England’s tour of Australia in 1970-71. During the third test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, the whole game was washed out due to persistent rain. Notably, toss had happened. England won the toss and elected to field first, but there was no play on any of the five days.

4. New Zealand vs Pakistan, Carisbrook, Dunedin, 1989

The fourth such instance happened when Pakistan toured New Zealand in 1989. The first test of the series in Dunedin was abandoned after it rained on all five days. This also marked the first instance where Australia and England haven’t been involved in a completely washed-out test.

5. West Indies vs England, Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana, 1990

During the second test match between the West Indies and England in Guyana in 1990, the whole game was washed away due to continuous rain on all five days. This marked the fifth instance in the longest format where a match was abandoned with a ball being bowled.

6. Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, 1998

The sixth incident of a test match being abandoned without a single delivery was during Zimbabwe’s tour of Pakistan in 1998. The third test match in Faisalabad was abandoned due to thick fog, as no play was possible on all five days. This also helped Zimbabwe win the three-match test series against Pakistan by 1-0.

7. New Zealand vs India, Carisbrook, Dunedin, 1998

The seventh instance of a test ending without a single ball being bowled involved New Zealand and the Indian cricket team at Carisbrook in Dunedin in 1998. During the opening test, continuous rain on all five days led the match to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.

8. Afghanistan vs New Zealand, Greater Noida, 2024

Since hosting international cricket in Afghanistan is not possible, they host their matches in India and in the UAE. This was the first test for the Afghanistan cricket team against New Zealand. However, this one-off test in Greater Noida in India was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain and wet outfield.

The poor drainage system at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground meant that even though it didn’t rain on the first two days of the match, no play was possible because of wet outfield which couldn’t be dried out. The match was eventually called off on day 5 before even its scheduled start time.

(All stats updated till 13th September 2024)

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