Rest day

During multi-day test cricket matches, the rest day is a typical rest day for the players. In the past, the game would typically begin on Thursday. This day was not selected at random since it was anticipated that a greater number of spectators would be able to attend the game on the third day on account of the fact that the workers had a day off on Saturday.

 

Due to the fact that Sunday is considered a holy day for Christians of all religions, Sunday was the day that was set aside for vacation and relaxation. In addition, despite the fact that many British colonies were unfamiliar with this custom, they swiftly embraced it, just as they did with other cricket regulations.

The Origins and Traditions of the Rest Day

Many cricketers considered rest days optional, but they were forced to put up with the established format. Edward Arthur Thomson, who took part in the Jazz-hat games in the 30s of the last century, said:

“Some of us were just shy to walk openly with our bags on the streets. We got used to leaving them in the locker room at the train station in an inconspicuous place and waited until it got dark to go home.” 

There were other occasions in the future when the topic of modifying the structure of test matches was brought up. As time went on, society was becoming more secular, traditions that were unshakeable were becoming a thing of the past, and financial concerns were rapidly becoming the primary focus of attention. On the other hand, it was not feasible to find a solution to the situation right away.

For reasons related to their religious beliefs, a few players, like Jack Hobbs and Peter Harvey, declined to participate in games on Sundays. A number of people, like Alan Gibson, were incensed by the fact that the removal of a rest day would be detrimental to centuries-old English customs. This was due to the fact that Sunday was the day on which the whole family met at the supper table after attending church.

The law was the third and most crucial barrier to overcome. In order to protect the financial interests of the organizers, spectators were not permitted to pay to attend sporting events that took place on Sundays. And if the authorities were ready to turn a blind eye at least to unofficial and amateur matches, then both the church and the selectors strongly opposed such a practice. Consequently, Tom Graveney traveled to Luton in 1969 in order to take part in a charity match. He genuinely lost his international career, which he subsequently came to regret a great deal, despite the fact that he had earned one thousand pounds.

The End of the Rest Day and Its Lasting Impact

Nevertheless, it was declared that Sunday cricket matches will be conducted with free entrance for spectators. This announcement was made during the previous year. Additionally, in 1980, the John Player Sunday League drew more than 250,000 viewers, which was 135 thousand more than the matches that were staged during weekdays. Therefore, it was only a matter of time until the Rest day was pulled from the schedule.

Even hard-core conservatives such as Alan Gibson, eventually gave up (the latter even began covering the County Championship events that were played on Sundays). It was brought to the attention of those who advocated for the modifications that rest day did not always occur on a Sunday. For instance, in the English test match against India in 1952, it occurred on the second day of the match due to the proclamation of mourning for George VI.

Furthermore, the players continued to come dangerously close to violating the religious limitations that were in place: some of them spent their Sundays fishing, while others played golf. John Emburey recalled how the England players went to the winery during the Rest day in Adelaide, where they “had a little too much”.

The first test match in which Sunday became a game day was held at Trent Bridge in 1981. The new format’s success was so obvious that it was soon decided to abandon the Rest day (the last of them fell on the 1997 Wimbledon tennis final). The last Rest days in the countries with the test status took place:

• Sri Lanka – December 2001, a match against Zimbabwe;
• West Indies – March 1997, a match against India;
• England – July 1996, match against India;
• Australia – November 1995, match against Pakistan;
• Zimbabwe – February 1995, a match against Pakistan;
• India – February 1994, a match against Sri Lanka;
• Pakistan – December 1993, a match against Zimbabwe;
• New Zealand – February 1988, a match against England;
• South Africa – March 1970, a match against Australia.

The potential of declaring a rest day is still allowed in test matches, which is something that should be taken into consideration. However, in order to spare the audience, the organizers will only resort to it in the most exceptional of circumstances.

This is interesting: many observers noted that the actual cancellation of the Rest day affected the players’ physical fitness. In particular, Scyld Berry stated: “Players, especially fast bowlers, faced a deterioration in form, which they were not ready for. Now they need to put more effort into training, and this is natural, but now no one is removed from the game because of fatigue”.