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Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Friday announced the schedule for next month's Test series against New Zealand, with the opening Test in Galle to feature a rest day due to a "political election".
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), the two-match series will form part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle and the first Test will commence on September 18 and be played across six days, with a rest day set for September 21 'owing to the Presidential Election of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka'. 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. Rest days were regular commodities 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. 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 December 29 because of a parliamentary election. Both Test matches during the upcoming series will be played in Galle, with Sri Lanka and New Zealand currently sitting in third and fourth place, respectively, on the World Test Championship standings. The first Test match will kick off on September 18 and conclude on September 23. Meanwhile, the second long-format match of the series will begin on September 26 and last until September 30. Currently, Sri Lanka is on a tour of England to play a three-match Test series against the Three Lions. The first Test have already started on August 21. The second and third Tests will be played on August 29 and September 6. (ANI)
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