The excitement of Test cricket is at its peak. Currently, a three-match Test series is going on between England and Sri Lanka. Pakistan team is busy in a two-Test series against Bangladesh. Indian team will also play a two-Test series against Bangladesh next month. New Zealand will tour Sri Lanka in September, where it will play two Test matches against the host team.
… so this is why the test match will be of 6 days!
The first test match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand will start in Galle from 18 September. The special thing is that six days have been allotted for this test match, which includes a rest day on 21 September. Actually, presidential elections are to be held in Sri Lanka on 21 September, due to which this decision has been taken. That is, there will be a rest day after the first three days in the Galle test match. Then the fourth and fifth days of play will be on 22 September and 23 September.
A rest day during the first #SLvNZ match 👀
Sri Lanka have confirmed the dates for hosting New Zealand for the #WTC25 Tests 👇
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2024
If this test match ends in three days or less, then there will be no need for a rest day. This will be the first time since 2008 that a rest day has been kept for a test match. In 2008, a rest day was kept in the Dhaka test match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. At that time, such a step had to be taken due to the parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. This will be the first time in more than two decades that Sri Lanka will host a six-day test match.
Earlier in 2001, a day’s rest was taken in the match played against Zimbabwe in Colombo due to Poya Day (full moon). This two-match series is part of the current ICC World Test Championship cycle, the second Test of which will be played in Galle from 26-30 September. A day’s rest in the middle of Test cricket was common in the last century, but now this practice has almost ended. This tradition continued in England till the 90s.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka last faced each other in a Test series in early 2023, which the Kiwi team won 2-0. By the way, New Zealand last toured Sri Lanka in 2019, in which the Test series was drawn 1-1 and the Kiwi team won 2-1 in the T20 series. Before the Sri Lanka tour, the New Zealand team will play a one-off Test match against Afghanistan in Greater Noida from September 9. After the Sri Lanka tour, New Zealand has to play three Test matches against India in October-November.
New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka (2024)
18-23 September: 1st Test, Galle
26-30 September: Second Test, Galle
New Zealand tour of India (2024)
October 16-20: First Test, Bengaluru
October 24-28: 2nd Test, Pune
November 1-5: 3rd Test, Mumbai