Boxing Day Test

The second day of the 2006 Boxing Day test match

The Boxing Day Test match is a cricket Test match held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia involving the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team which is touring Australia that summer. It begins annually on Boxing Day (26 December) and is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Every four years, the Boxing Day Test forms part of the five-match Ashes series with England.

History

Cricket crowd at the Boxing Day test in 2007

By long tradition, a Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and New South Wales had been played at the MCG over the Christmas period. It included Boxing Day as one of the scheduled days of play, much to the chagrin of the NSW players who missed spending Christmas with their families as a result. The Melbourne Test was usually held over the New Year period, often starting on 1 January.

During the 1950–51 Ashes series, the Melbourne Test was played from 22 to 27 December, with the third day's play being on Boxing Day, but no test matches were played on Boxing Day in Melbourne between 1953 and 1967. Because there were six Tests in the 1974–75 Ashes series, in order to fit them all in to the overall schedule, the Third Test at Melbourne was scheduled to start on Boxing Day. That was the origin of the modern tradition, although it wasn't until 1980 that the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Australian cricket team secured the rights to begin a test match annually on Boxing Day at the MCG.

Boxing Day One Day International

In 1989, instead of a Test match, a One Day International involving Australia and Sri Lanka was played, which Australia won by 30 runs.[1]

List of Boxing Day Test matches

Year Opposition team Result Boxing Day Crowd Total Attendance
1950[2]  England  Australia won by 28 runs[3] 60,486[4] 191,197[4]
1952[5]  South Africa  South Africa won by 82 runs 24,609 120,314[4]
1968  West Indies  Australia won by an innings and 30 runs 18,766 113,376
1974  England Draw 77,167 250,750[4]
1975  West Indies  Australia won by 8 wickets 85,661 222,755[4]
1980  New Zealand Draw 28,671 82,745
1981  West Indies  Australia won by 58 runs 39,982 134,081[4]
1982  England  England won by 3 runs 63,900 214,882[4]
1983  Pakistan Draw 40,277 111,611[4]
1984[6]  West Indies Draw 15,504 (25,555 Day 1) 97,271[4]
1985  India Draw 18,146 77,715[4]
1986  England  England won by an innings and 14 runs 58,203 107,817[4]
1987  New Zealand Draw 51,807 127,184[4]
1988[5]  West Indies  West Indies won by 258 runs 26,287 108,408[4]
1990  England  Australia won by 9 wickets 49,763 129,530[4]
1991  India  Australia won by 8 wickets 42,494 89,369[4]
1992  West Indies  Australia won by 139 runs 28,397 83,320[4]
1993  South Africa Draw 15,604 (rain) 48,565[4]
1994[5]  England  Australia won by 295 runs 51,620 144,492[4]
1995  Sri Lanka  Australia won by 10 wickets 55,239 105,388[4]
1996  West Indies  West Indies won by 6 wickets 72,891 131,671[4]
1997  South Africa Draw 73,812 160,182[4]
1998  England  England won by 12 runs 61,580 159,031[4]
1999  India  Australia won by 180 runs 49,082 (rain) 134,554[4]
2000  West Indies  Australia won by 352 runs 73,233 133,299[4]
2001  South Africa  Australia won by 9 wickets 61,796 153,025[4]
2002  England  Australia won by 5 wickets 64,189 177,658[4]
2003  India  Australia won by 9 wickets 62,613 179,662[4]
2004  Pakistan  Australia won by 9 wickets 61,552 129,079[4]
2005  South Africa  Australia won by 184 runs 71,910 192,337[4]
2006  England  Australia won by an innings and 99 runs 89,155[7] 244,351[4]
2007  India  Australia won by 337 runs 68,465[8] 166,663[8]
2008  South Africa  South Africa won by 9 wickets 63,263[8] 174,246[8]
2009  Pakistan  Australia won by 170 runs 59,206[8] 156,267[8]
2010  England  England won by an innings and 157 runs 84,345[8] 240,156[8]
2011  India  Australia won by 122 runs[9] 70,068[8] 189,347[9]
2012  Sri Lanka  Australia won by an innings and 201 runs 67,138[8] 137,455[8]
2013  England  Australia won by 8 wickets 91,112[8] 271,865[8]
2014  India Draw 69,993 194,481
2015  West Indies  Australia won by 177 runs 53,389 127,069[10][11][12][13]
2016  Pakistan

Other Boxing Day Tests

In New Zealand an annual Boxing Day Test Match was played at Basin Reserve in Wellington, involving the New Zealand cricket team as one of the competing sides. Over the past few years the Boxing day Test has been phased out for a One Day International and Twenty20 matches involving New Zealand and the touring opposition national team. It has been announced that in 2013 the Boxing Day Tests will be returning with the West Indies playing at Basin Reserve.

In South Africa a Boxing Day Test is often played if another national team is touring to play the South African cricket team. It is traditionally played at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban.

References

  1. ↑ ODI # 596 Benson & Hedges World Series, 1989/90, 1st Match, Australia v Sri Lanka
  2. ↑ Boxing Day was the third day of the test match.
  3. ↑ "2nd Test: Australia v. England 1950". ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 "Records – MCG Test Matches". Melbourne Cricket Ground. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  5. 1 2 3 Boxing Day was the second day of the test match.
  6. ↑ Boxing Day was the fourth day of the test match.
  7. ↑ "Melbourne Cricket Ground Attendances".
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Recent MCG Cricket Attendances". Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  9. 1 2 "India tour of Australia, 2011/12 (1st Test)". ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  10. ↑ OFFICIAL CROWD FIGURE: 53,389 #AUSvWI twitter.com/MCG. Retrieved on 29 Dec, 2015
  11. ↑ Official attendance today: 40,516. #AUSvWI #MCG twitter.com/MCG. Retrieved on 29 Dec, 2015
  12. ↑ Official attendance today: 26,003. #AUSvWI #MCG twitter.com/MCG. Retrieved on 29 Dec, 2015
  13. ↑ Today's attendance for Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test is 7,161 #AUSvWI twitter.com/MCG. Retrieved on 29 Dec, 2015

External links

Coordinates: 37°49′12″S 144°59′00″E / 37.82000°S 144.98333°E / -37.82000; 144.98333

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