The Boxing Day is often regarded as one of the most important days in a cricket calendar. The day after Christmas i.e., 26th December is labelled as Boxing Day and the Test match that is played during that day is referred to as Boxing Day Test match.
In Australia, England and many western countries, the Boxing Day is a publicly declared holiday. Therefore, several cricket matches are kept on this day in hope that the viewership surges as people are usually free during this day.
History of Boxing Day in Cricket
Originally, the first Boxing Day Test match took place in the 1974-75 Ashes series. The third Test match of this series started on Boxing Day (26th December) and from then, the Boxing Day Test match gained significance. From 1980, the Melbourne Cricket Club and Cricket Australia bagged the rights of hosting the Boxing Day Test match. Every year the Boxing Day Test match is played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The Boxing Day Test match is an integral part of Cricket Australia’s folklore and several fans throng the MCG to witness the Test match that takes places over there. The fans enjoy the game from the stands and form waves, stack beer cups (also known as beer cup snakes) and form chants.
Presently, Australia and South Africa are playing their 2nd Test match of their series on Boxing Day. Australia blew away their South African counterparts in the 1st Test match at the Gabba by 6 wickets.
In the ongoing Test match at MCG, Australia skittled out South Africa for 189 runs in the first innings. In response, the home team are batting at 45-1 at Stumps Day 1. Cameron Green starred with the ball and he bagged 5 wickets. This is also David Warner’s 100th Test match and this occasion is quite iconic and memorable for him.
Also read: Decoding why Ravichandran Ashwin is the MVP in Tests for India
