If cricket has been your obsession for a long time, you are probably already familiar with the term — Boxing Day Test match. This is a Test match that cricket lovers of Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand will not miss.
But is there any significance to the term Boxing Day Test match? And when is it taking place?
This article will give you a brief about the Boxing Day Test Match.
Boxing Day Test Match
A Boxing Day Test match is an annual event held on December 26th, the day after Christmas. Usually, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand engage in Test matches against other teams in their own countries.
The match is a big draw for the fans both in the stadium and in front of the TV, and its popularity is mainly due to the fact that these Tests also take place during their summer season running from December to February.
What is the Origin of the Name?
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The phrase ‘Boxing Day’ was originally tied to the Christmas celebration. The practice of the day after Christmas being a time for gift giving and unwrapping has been mentioned as the main reason the term was connected with cricket.
The initial Boxing Day Test match was between the long-standing rivals Australia and England during the 1950-51 Ashes series. However, the match was played from December 22 to December 27, with the 4th day (26th) being Boxing Day.
In contrast, the Boxing Day Test match became an annual event starting only from the year 1980. Cricket Australia along with the Melbourne Cricket Club has decided to conduct a Boxing Day Test match every year at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
This event has been taking place at MCG every year after that from December 26th to 30th and has become one of the most loved events among cricket enthusiasts in Australia. There was only one exception to this in 1989 when Australia played a One Day International (ODI) match against Sri Lanka on Boxing Day which was part of the Benson and Hedges World Series.
There are similar Test matches played in South Africa and New Zealand but they lack the regularity and do not attract as much attention as Australia.
