What is Rest Day in Cricket? SL vs NZ Series set to have Six-day Test Match

Sri Lanka is set to host New Zealand in a two-match Test series which starts in September.

Both Test matches in the upcoming series will take place in Galle. Sri Lanka and New Zealand currently hold third and fourth positions respectively on the World Test Championship standings and this will be a pivotal assignment for both teams.

Along with the thrill and spill of Test cricket, this series is set to reintroduce Rest Day, a rare phenomenon in Test cricket. The first Test of the series will include Rest Day, meaning the match will span six days. It will start on September 18 and conclude on September 23. The second Test will be a normal five-day match.

What is Rest Day in Test Cricket?

Rest Day is generally a pause within a Test match. In the matches in the past, a day was included in between, when there shall be no action. Generally it used to be Sundays which were deemed as Rest Day in the past, but it was slowly becoming obsolete in modern-day cricket.

The most recent Test match featuring a rest day took place in Dhaka in 2008. Bangladesh's opening match against Sri Lanka included a rest day on 29 December due to a parliamentary election.

Why will SL vs NZ Test have a Rest Day?

The match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand will have a Rest Day due to Presidential Election in the island country.

Sri Lanka to host first Rest Day Test match in Two Decades

It has been over two decades since Sri Lanka hosted a Test match spanning six days. The last instance was against Zimbabwe in Colombo in 2001, which included a rest day due to Poya Day, a full moon celebration in Sri Lanka.

This return to six-day Tests with rest days marks a significant nod to cricket traditions. It also provides players with much-needed recovery time during intense series. The inclusion of rest days can impact team strategies and player performance. Teams may use this time to recuperate and plan their approach for the remaining days of play.