The first of two Tests between Sri Lanka and New Zealand will have a scheduled rest day, making it the first Test in 16 years to have one.
On Friday (August 23), Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed the schedule for New Zealand's two-Test tour of the island nation in September. Both matches are set to take place at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle.
The second Test has been scheduled from September 26-30, but the first match of the series has been allotted a total of six days, from September 18-23.
The reason for the same was clarified by SLC in their release of the schedule, stating that "21st September will be a rest day of the 1st Test Match owing to the Presidential Election of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka."
Rest days are an uncommon sight these days, but have been a feature throughout Test history. They were usually scheduled between days three and four of a Test match to allow the players an extra day to rest and recuperate.
But in recent times, with multiple formats and packed schedules, the rest day has become a luxury. Many bilateral tours these days are lucky if they see the visitors play even one four-day warmup match.
When was the last Test featuring a rest day played?
The last time Sri Lanka played a Test match which had a rest day at home was against Zimbabwe in Colombo in 2001, as the Poya (full moon) holiday arrived during the scheduled matchdays. The first three days were played on December 27, 28 and 29 before December 30 was a rest day. Sri Lanka went on to secure an innings victory on December 31, day four of the match.
The last rest day in Test cricket overall came in 2008, and Sri Lanka were involved on that occasion as well, this time as the visitors. When they toured Bangladesh, the first Test in Mirpur was scheduled from December 26-31, with December 29 allocated as a rest day owing to a parliamentary election.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka currently occupy third and fourth place respectively in the standings for the World Test Championship 2023-25. This series is the second of three in a row in Asia for New Zealand, who will play a one-off Test against Afghanistan before, and a three-Test series against India after, this one.
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