Though rest days are rare in modern cricket, they were once a common part of Test matches.
The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board, earlier today, confirmed the schedule for New Zealand’s two-Test tour of the Island nation in September.
Interestingly, the first of two Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Tests will have a scheduled rest day, making it the first Test in 16 years to have one.
The second Test is set to take place from September 26-30, while the first match of the series is allocated six days, spanning September 18-23.
Though rest days are rare in modern cricket, they were once a common part of Test matches. Traditionally, these rest days were positioned between the third and fourth day, providing players with additional time to recover.
The reason for including the change was clarified by SLC in their official press release, 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.”
The last instance of a rest day in Test cricket occurred in 2008, with Sri Lanka being part of it once again, though this time as the visiting team. During their tour of Bangladesh, the first Test match in Mirpur was held from December 26-31, and December 29 was set aside as a rest day due to a parliamentary election.
Sri Lanka’s most recent home Test match with a scheduled rest day took place against Zimbabwe in Colombo in 2001, coinciding with the Poya (full moon) holiday.
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The first three days of play were on December 27, 28, and 29, while December 30 was observed as a rest day. On December 31, the fourth day of the match, Sri Lanka secured an innings victory.
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