Sri Lanka Cricket has officially released the schedule for their upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand, set to commence next month. A notable highlight of this series is the rare inclusion of a six-day Test match for the first Test, to be held at Galle. The match will feature a rest day on September 21, coinciding with a presidential election in Sri Lanka.
The first Test, commencing on September 18, will incorporate this rest day, marking the first instance in over two decades that Sri Lanka has scheduled a six-day Test. The previous occurrence was in 2001, against Zimbabwe in Colombo, where a rest day was observed for Poya Day, a traditional full moon holiday in Sri Lanka.
Rest days were once a common practice in Test cricket, particularly in matches played in England, where Sundays were often designated as rest days. However, they have largely been phased out in recent years. The most recent instance of a rest day in Test cricket was in 2008, during a match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Dhaka, where a rest day was observed on December 29 due to a parliamentary election.
Sri Lanka and New Zealand are formidable contenders in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle, currently holding the third and fourth positions in the standings, respectively. This upcoming series is a crucial part of New Zealand's back-to-back Test tours in Asia, which also includes a one-off Test against Afghanistan and a three-Test series against India.
Both matches in the series are set to take place at the prestigious Galle International Stadium, with the second game scheduled from September 26 to 30.
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