Sri Lanka to host New Zealand for Test series during presidential poll

Sri Lanka will host New Zealand for a two-match Test series during next month’s presidential election, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced today.

The first Test will begin on September 18 at Galle, but there will be a rest day on September 21 when the voting is set to take place, the board said.

The Test matches are a part of the ICC World Test Championship Cycle of 2023 – 2025, according to the SLC.

The Test series, which is scheduled to be played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, will kick off on 18 September.

The first match of the two-match series will take place from September 18 to 23, while the second match is set to be played from September 26 to 30.

Meanwhile, September 21 has been named as a rest day for the 1st Test match owing to the Presidential Election in Sri Lanka, the SLC pointed out.

New Zealand’s last tour of Sri Lanka was in August 2019, when they drew a two-match Test series with the hosts.

Next month’s presidential election is the country’s first poll since it declared a sovereign default in 2022 during an unprecedented economic crisis.

This is the first time a Test match is being played with a rest day in between in more than a decade, and the first time in Sri Lanka since 2001.

The rest days were a common feature of Test matches in the bygone 19th century, especially in England on Sundays, before the concept was eradicated altogether. 

Still, due to a few unavoidable circumstances like elections, religious or spiritual days or a lockdown, there have been rest days. 

This will be only the third in the 20th century. The last six-day Test match with a rest day was in Dhaka in 2008 where December 29 was off due to parliamentary elections.

--With agencies inputs