Last Updated on October 6, 2021 by
A Boxing Day Test is a cricket match that holds up every year on the 26th of December, which is the day after Christmas, in Commonwealth countries Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. However, the most famous event takes place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Australia.
The second day after Christmas, December 26, is called Boxing Day for a number of reasons. In some parts of the world, the day denotes a special day where boxes were traditionally opened in churches while others believe that servants were given boxed gifts on December 26 for working on Christmas Day.
Commonwealth nations that fall under the Southern Hemisphere hold remarkable sporting events on the second day after Christmas even though some other parts of the world celebrate that day as the feast day of St Stephen. Teams who visit these Commonwealth nations during the summer months of December, January, and February are involved in the sporting events. On the 26th of December 2020, South Africa hosted Sri Lanka, while New Zealand welcomed Pakistan during the India vs Australia Boxing Day Test.
Dating back as far as 1865, a Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and New South Wales had been played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground every the Christmas period. Due to the cluster of the NSW players who missed spending Christmas with their loved ones, Boxing Day was chosen as one of the scheduled days of play. However, it is in the New Year period that the Melbourne Test was scheduled, usually on the first of January. The Melbourne Test took place from the 22nd to the 27th of December during the 1950/51 Ashes series, where the fourth day of play, which is 26th being the Boxing Day.
The only thing is that Test matches weren’t played on Boxing Day between 1953 and 1967 in Melbourne. The third Test at Melbourne was rescheduled to take place on Boxing Day because there were six Tests in the 1974/75 Ashes series. After a while, the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Australian cricket team were allowed to get involved in a test match every year day after Christmas in 1980 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
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!
How Long Does The Boxing Day Test Go For?
5 days! Boxing Day Test matches are held on the 26th of December, which is the day after Christmas, and the sporting event runs over 5 days. The test matches are held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is one of the most popular sports stadiums in Australia.
Has Australia Ever Lost The Boxing Day Test?
Australian cricket team only managed to add just 67 runs to their overnight score of 133 for 6 after losing their last 4 wickets in the extended first session. This set India a paltry target of 70 runs to win the Test.
Why Is It Called As Boxing Day Test?
The Boxing Day Test, as we said earlier, holds up at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia on December 26 which is known as the Boxing Day when boxes of gifts were given to the servants in Victoria-era England on the second day of Christmas.
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