The first Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, starting on September 18 in Galle, will have six days allocated, including a rest day on September 21 to accommodate Sri Lanka’s presidential elections. This Test is part of a two-match series in the 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle.
This will be the first Test to include a rest day since the Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka match in Dhaka in 2008, which also paused for a day due to parliamentary elections. In Sri Lanka, the last time a Test had a rest day was in December 2001 against Zimbabwe, which coincided with a public holiday due to a full moon, significant in the predominantly Buddhist nation. Rest days in Test cricket were once common, particularly in England, where Sundays were non-playing days until the 1990s.
The last Test series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka took place at the beginning of 2023, with New Zealand winning 2-0 at home. The last time New Zealand toured Sri Lanka was in 2019, drawing the Test series 1-1 and winning the T20I series 2-1.
NZ will tour Sri Lanka following a one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida. Their busy cricket calendar will also see them play Test series against India and England before Sri Lanka’s return tour to New Zealand at the end of December for three T20Is and three ODIs.
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