SL vs NZ 1st Test, Galle: Why Some Sri Lankan Players Will Spend Supposed Day 4 On The Road Owing To 'Rest Day'

For the first time in 16 years, a Test match is featuring a 'rest day' which begs the question: why did Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) choose to host a six-day Test against New Zealand at Galle?

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand 1st Test at Galle features a 'Rest Day' for the first time in 16 years, here's why.

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Sri Lanka are up against New Zealand in the first SL vs NZ Test of the two match Test series at Galle, Sri Lanka. What would have been the Test’s fourth day on September 21 (Friday) had no play despite there being no rain or any such obstruction to the play. Instead, the fourth day’s play will resume on September 22. Notably, Saturday has been designated as a 'rest day', marking the first such instance in Test cricket since 2008.

For the first time in 16 years, a Test match is featuring a rest day which begs the question: why did Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) choose to host a six-day Test against New Zealand? 

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Some Sri Lankan Players To Travel Hundreds of Kilometres On Rest Day

The decision for there to be no play on Saturday was made due to Sri Lanka's Presidential elections on September 21. Players from the Sri Lankan team will cast their votes in their respective constituencies, participating in the election process. 

Notably, the SLC have even arranged a bus for the  players voting in Colombo, allowing them to cast their votes on Saturday morning and return to Galle in time for the fourth day of the SL vs NZ Test. However, some players will have longer journeys, with Asitha Fernando travelling approximately 175 kilometres and Lahiru Kumara heading to Kandy, about 225 kilometres from Galle.

Coming to the SL vs NZ Test at Galle, the match is evenly poised. Sri Lanka, choosing to bat first, racked up 305 runs in the first innings helped by Kamindu Mendis’ century. In reply, New Zealand scored 340 runs, helped by the half-centuries scored by Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell. Batting for the second time, Sri Lanka ended the day 3 of the SL vs NZ Test 237-4 after fifties from Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal.