What Is the Boxing Day Test? (All You Need To Know!)

Last Updated on October 16, 2023 by Alex PT

The Boxing Day Test is a cricket match that takes place annually in Australia, typically on December 26th. It is one of the most significant and traditional events in Australian cricket and is part of the Australian cricket team’s summer schedule.

What Is the Boxing Day Test?

The Boxing Day Test is a Test cricket match played annually on Boxing Day (December 26) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia. It is the third Test match of the Australian summer season.

The first Boxing Day Test was played in 1950 between Australia and England. The match has been played every year since then, except for 1989 when an ODI match was played instead.

The Boxing Day Test is one of the most popular sporting events in Australia, and it regularly attracts crowds of over 100,000 people. The record attendance for a Boxing Day Test is 121,993, set in 2013 when Australia played England.

Some of the most memorable moments in the history of the Boxing Day Test include:

• Shane Warne’s “Ball of the Century” to Mike Gatting in 1993
• Steve Waugh’s century on debut in 1988
• The 1981 Test match, which was drawn after both teams were bowled out for 124 in their second innings
• The 2010-11 Test match, which Australia won by 10 wickets to take the Ashes series 5-0

The Boxing Day Test is an important part of Australian cricket culture, and it is one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year.

From where it got its name?

The term “Boxing Day” has historical origins in the United Kingdom. It traditionally refers to the day after Christmas, December 26th, when wealthy families would box up leftover food, gifts, and money to distribute to the less fortunate or to servants who had worked on Christmas Day. The custom of giving boxes to those in need became associated with this day, hence the name “Boxing Day.”

In the context of the Boxing Day Test in Australia, the name carries over from this tradition. The match, held on December 26th, is a continuation of the Boxing Day custom, but in the form of a high-profile cricket event. Over time, the term “Boxing Day Test” has become synonymous with the prestigious cricket match played annually in Australia, maintaining the connection to the historical practice of giving to others during the holiday season.

List Of Boxing Day Test Matches

The table below is a comprehensive list of the Boxing Day Test matches, total attendance, opposition team, and date of the sporting events. 

Year	Opposition team	Test Match Winners	Match Results	Total Attendance
1950	England	Australia won	By 28 runs	191,197 spectators
1952	South Africa	South Africa won by 82 runs	By 82 runs	120,314 spectators
1968	West Indies	Australia won	by an innings and 30 runs	113,376 spectators
1974	England	Draw		250,750 spectators
1975	West Indies	Australia won	By 8 wickets	222,755 spectators
1980	New Zealand	Draw		82,745 spectators
1981	West Indies	Australia won	By 58 runs	134,081 spectators
1982	England	England won	By 3 runs	214,882 spectators
1983	Pakistan	Draw	–	111,611 spectators
1984	West Indies	Draw	–	97,271 spectators
1985	India	Draw	–	77,715 spectators
1986	England	England won	By an innings and 14 runs	107,817 spectators
1987	New Zealand	Draw	–	127,184 spectators
1988	West Indies	West Indies won by 258 runs	Won by 258 runs	108,408 spectators
1990	England	Australia won by 9 wickets	By 9 wickets	129,530 spectators
1991	India	Australia won by 8 wickets	By 8 wickets	89,369 spectators
1992	West Indies	Australia won by 139 runs	By 139 runs	83,320 spectators
1993	South Africa	Draw	–	48,565 spectators
1994	England	Australia won by 295 runs	By 295 runs	144,492 spectators
1995	Sri Lanka	Australia won by 10 wickets	By 10 wickets	105,388 spectators
1996	West Indies	West Indies won by 6 wickets	By 6 wickets	131,671 spectators
1997	South Africa	Draw	–	160,182 spectators
1998	England	England won by 12 runs	By 12 runs	159,031 spectators
1999	India	Australia won by 180 runs	By 180 runs	134,554 spectators
2000	West Indies	Australia won by 352 runs	By 352 runs	133,299 spectators
2001	South Africa	Australia won by 9 wickets	By 9 wickets	153,025 spectators
2002	England	Australia won by 5 wickets	By 5 wickets	177,658 spectators
2003	India	Australia won by 9 wickets	By 9 wickets	179,662 spectators
2004	Pakistan	Australia won by 9 wickets	By 9 wickets	129,079 spectators
2005	South Africa	Australia won by 184 runs	By 184 runs	192,337 spectators
2006	England	Australia won by an innings and 99 runs	By an innings and 99 runs	244,351 spectators
2007	India	Australia won by 337 runs	By 337 runs	166,663 spectators
2008	South Africa	South Africa won by 9 wickets	By 9 wickets	174,246 spectators
2009	Pakistan	Australia won by 170 runs	By 170 runs	156,267 spectators
2010	England	England won by an innings and 157 runs	By an inning and 157 runs	240,156 spectators
2011	India	Australia won by 122 runs	By 122 runs	189,347 spectators
2012	Sri Lanka	Australia won by an innings and 201 runs	By an inning and 201 runs	137,455 spectators
2013	England	Australia won by 8 wickets	By 8 wickets	271,865 spectators
2014	India	Draw	–	194,481 spectators
2015	West Indies	Australia won by 177 runs	By 177 runs	127,069 spectators
2016	Pakistan	Australia won by an innings and 18 runs	By an inning and 18 runs	142,188 spectators
2017	England	Draw	–	261,335 spectators
2018	India	India won by 137 runs	By 137 runs	176,539 spectators
2019	New Zealand	Australia won by 247 runs	By 247 runs	203,472 spectators
2020	India	India won by 8 wickets	By 8 wickets	89,472 spectators

FAQs 

We’ve prepared a list of frequently asked questions and answers about the Boxing Day Test. Let’s check them out! 

In Conclusion 

The Boxing Day Test match is a Cricket sporting event held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia involving the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team from the Commonwealth nations that fall under the Southern Hemisphere. It commences annually on Boxing Day, the second day after Christmas, and is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). We’ve reached the closing chapter of this informative article. We hope you were able to find good resources in your quest to know what the Boxing Day Test means. If you have any questions or comments about the article topic, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day_Test
https://www.cricketcountry.com/news/what-is-boxing-day-test-when-it-is-played-all-you-need-to-know-1060010