By Lewis Wiseman, Student Ambassador
Everyone has a Christmas tradition that will never change, be it with family, friends or even on your own.
Australia boasts one tradition in particular – the Boxing Day Test Match. Thirty plus degree weather, all of your mates, a few beers, and the cricket. Is there really a better combination?
Every year at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia take on a major cricketing nation in what some argue is the most highly anticipated match in the calendar. The fixture is usually attended by 60,000 people, or more if it’s an Ashes Test, whilst television viewing numbers frequently surpass the one million mark.
The players love it too. Last year, Australian batsman Steve Smith said that the Boxing Day Test is an amazing fixture to play in. He told TABradio: “It’s been fantastic to be involved in a few Boxing Day Tests and to have had some success in them as well.”
This year, Australia take on their rivals across the ditch, New Zealand, and the tie could well create the best Boxing Day atmosphere that the MCG has witnessed in years. The teams haven’t contested a Boxing Day Test since the 1987 draw, and with no festive fixtures since, this year’s rematch is long overdue.
In terms of the favourites, the odds are well in Australia’s favour, after having won 14 of their last 19 Tests on Boxing Day. Despite that though, New Zealand will prove a testing opponent for the Aussies, and the meeting between the sides promises to be a real Christmas cracker.
The Boxing Day Test Match is one of the renowned occasion’s in the cricket world, but for most Australians it’s a chance to relax with friends, and enjoy everything that’s good about the country.
It’s fantastic.
