Galle (Sri Lanka): Sri Lanka Cricket has announced the schedule for a two-match Test series against New Zealand which is set to begin next month. A unique feature of the series is a six-day Test match between the two nations which will be a series opener. The match will be played in Galle and it will have a rest day due to the presidential election in the country.
A rest day during the first #SLvNZ match 👀
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2024
Sri Lanka have confirmed the dates for hosting New Zealand for the #WTC25 Tests 👇https://t.co/l2IimGLqSy
The first fixture of the series will commence on September 18 and it will include a rest day. It will be also the first occasion in two decades when Sri Lanka will host a six-day Test match. The last such occurrence was in 2001 when Sri Lanka was up against Zimbabwe in Colombo. Back then, a rest day was observed for Poya Day, which is a traditional full moon day in Sri Lanka.
Many years back, rest days were of common occurrence in Test cricket, especially in red-ball games played in England. Sundays were observed as rest days in the matches played on the English venues. However, that practice has declined gradually and the last instance when a rest day was observed came in 2008. During a fixture between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, December 29 was observed as a rest day due to parliamentary elections.
Both teams are strong contenders for the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle occupying third and fourth spots in the standings respectively. The series is a part of New Zealand’s tours in Asia which includes a three-Test series against India and a one-off Test against Afghanistan.
Both the Test matches in the series will be played at the Galle International Stadium. The cricket fans will eagerly wait for the contest as the six-day Test will bring back a historical element of red-ball cricket.
