There are a few reasons why Australia’s Boxing Day Test match is unique. The famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has hosted the Boxing Day Test every year since 1980.
As teams compete in the Boxing Day Test, fans have visited the MCG in large numbers over the years to watch some incredible cricket. In Melbourne, Australia and Pakistan are currently engaged in the second of three Test matches. Boxing Day (December 26) was the start of this battle.
Sportscaster Gerard Whatley has advocated for a midday start for the Boxing Day Test instead of the customary 10.30 am AEDT start time. He believes this would be a better option. Play might continue till 7 p.m. thanks to it. Rain delays caused play between Australia and Pakistan to go until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 26.
Before the first ball on Tuesday, 34,000 spectators were there. Later in the day, the figure rose to 52,000, and after lunch, it almost reached 60,000. But Nick Hockley, CEO of Cricket Australia (CA), rejected the notion of delaying the start time in favor of tradition.
The good news is that we managed to continue playing last night until 7:00 p.m. (despite the rain). Hockley stated on SEN, “I’m extremely happy that—credit to the ground personnel—people got back on, even for those who had a little lie-in.
“You’ll continue to push for that, but tradition is a great thing. Later on, you had two amazing Big Bash matches to witness,” he continued.
Compared to the previous record, fewer people attended the Boxing Day match overall.
A noteworthy 62,167 people attended in the end on Boxing Day. It was unable to surpass the previous low against Pakistan, which was 63,478 in 2016. On Day 1, only 66 overs of play could be completed. Pakistan chose to field first after winning the toss. After losing Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, and David Warner to injury, the hosts ended the day at 187/3. After winning the first Test in Perth by a margin of 360 runs, Australia leads the three-match series 1-0.
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