Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Friday announced the fixture of the upcoming 2-match Test series against New Zealand with both matches scheduled to be played at Galle International Cricket Stadium (GICS). The opening game of the series will get underway on September 18 and will be played across six days. The second and final Test match will kick off on September 26.
The first Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Test has been allotted six days. As per the official SLC release, there will be an off day in between the Test match due to the Presidential Elections in the country.
“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,” the official release stated.
Series schedule:
First Test: September 18-23, Galle
Second Test: September 26-30, Galle
First six-day Test 2008
It isn’t the first instance when a rest day has been included in a Test match. It was common in Test cricket last century, with many matches in England played across six days and often featuring a day without any play on a Sunday.
It will be the first time in more than 20 years that Sri Lanka have been scheduled to host a Test across six days, with their match against Zimbabwe in Colombo in 2001 also including a rest day due to Poya Day (full moon) in the island nation.
The most recent Test with a rest day was in Dhaka in 2008 when Bangladesh’s opening match of their series against Sri Lanka included a rest day on 29 December because of a parliamentary election.
SL vs NZ: CWC Table Standing
The Test matches are a part of the ICC World Test Championship Cycle of 2023 – 2025. Sri Lanka and New Zealand are currently sitting in third and fourth place respectively on the World Test Championship standings.
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