For the first time in 16 years, a Test match will feature a rest day as Sri Lanka and New Zealand pause the first game of their two-match series in Galle. The rest day, scheduled for Saturday, coincides with Sri Lanka’s presidential elections, allowing players and officials to travel to their voting locations.
This break is significant, as it’s the first major poll in Sri Lanka since political changes in 2022. Sri Lankan cricketers have been provided transport to cast their votes, with some players facing long journeys. For instance, pacer Asitha Fernando will travel 175 kilometers to vote near his hometown, while seamer Lahiru Kumara will cover 225 kilometers to reach Kandy.
Rest days were more common in the 1990s, with the last one occurring in 2008 during Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh.
After three days of play, Sri Lanka leads by 202 runs. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva opted to bat first, with Kamindu Mendis scoring 114 runs. New Zealand responded with 340, trailing by 35 runs. In Sri Lanka’s second innings, Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal’s half-centuries further strengthened their position, while Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva remain unbeaten.