Why is Afghanistan vs New Zealand test match not part of ICC World Test Championship 2023-25?

The Afghanistan vs New Zealand test in Greater Noida is the first-ever test match between these two nations.

In a historic event in Afghanistan’s cricket history, they are meeting New Zealand in a test match for the first time. The match, though, scheduled in Greater Noida, hasn’t yet got underway due to a wet outfield.

The Afghanistan vs New Zealand test was scheduled to start on September 9. However, more than a day and a half have been lost due to the damp outfield at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground.

For the unversed, since international cricket is not possible in Afghanistan, they host other teams in India and in the UAE. They have previously hosted other teams in test cricket in Dehradun, Lucknow, and Abu Dhabi.

Interestingly, the Afghanistan vs New Zealand test in Greater Noida is not part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25. We will let you know why.

Why is the Afghanistan vs New Zealand test match not part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25?

Since Afghanistan are not among the nine teams in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, the AFG vs NZ test in Noida is not part of the ongoing ICC WTC cycle.

Out of the 12 test teams, nine teams take part in the World Test Championship. Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe are not part of the current WTC cycle.

New Zealand, on the other hand, are currently placed third in the ICC WTC 2023-25 standings. After this one-off test against Afghanistan, they will tour Sri Lanka for two tests and then return to India for three tests against Rohit Sharma’s team. These two series will be part of the ICC WTC and are crucial for New Zealand, who were the winners of the inaugural World Test Championship.

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