Boxing Day Test
Boxing Day Test Betting - December 26th - 30th 2012
Boxing Day Test
It is the Christmas tradition that gets every Aussie – sports-fan or not – hitting backyard sixes in December. It is as quintessentially Australian as a pie at the footy. The Boxing Day Test match between Australia and the touring international cricket side of the summer is first-class cricket at its best. In 2012 it is Sri Lanka’s turn to take it up to the Green and Gold army led my Michael Clark. Soak up the summer sun and be part of the action at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The first ball of the opening session will be bowled at 10:30am, on Wednesday 26th December 2012.
Facts about the Boxing Day Test
- The 1998 rain-interrupted match was the longest single day’s play in Test history, concluding at 7:33pm.
- In 2006, 89,155 packed the MCG which was also record Boxing Day crowd.
- In 1993, the other extreme, a meagre 15,604 braved the wet weather.
- Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene has amassed 615 runs since the Boxing Day Test began, more than any other player.
- Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi holds the record for most wickets, having sent 27 batsmen packing.
Boxing Day Test betting
When: –
Where: – Melbourne Cricket Ground, Brunton Avenue, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Boxing Day Test betting can be just as frantic as the action itself, so check out the latest ICC Boxing Day Test odds here.
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Boxing Day Test
Test cricket is the longest form of the game. Played between national representative teams (11 players each) with “Test status” only, the contest involves four innings over a period of up to five days. Like Wimbledon, Test cricket is regarded as the ‘purest’ form of the game, and it is tradition for teams to don white uniforms and play with a red ball.
The Boxing Day Test Match is considered one of the biggest Tests of the season. Played annually on Boxing Day (December 26th), the inaugural Boxing Day Test match was in 1950. A big crowd, even by today’s standards, 60,486, flocked to the ‘G to watch Australia take on the mother country England. Over the years the best-of-five day match has been played at various pitches and even started on different days. However, since 1990 the match has been played the day after Christmas at the home of cricket, the MCG.
Every four years a bet on Boxing Day Test match action gets even hotter as the post-Christmas wicket forms part of the five-match Ashes series with England.
Past Boxing Day Test Matches
Below is a list of the past Boxing Day Test matches and winners.
| Year | Opposition | Result | Boxing Day Crowd | Total Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | India | Australia won by 122 runs | 70,068 | 189,347 |
| 2010 | England | England won by an innings and 157 runs | 84,345 | 240,156 |
| 2009 | Pakistan | Australia won by 170 runs | 59,206 | 156,267 |
| 2008 | South Africa | South Africa won by 9 wickets | 63,263 | 174,246 |
| 2007 | India | Australia won by 337 runs | 68,465 | 166,663 |
| 2006 | England | Australia won by an innings and 99 runs | 89,155 | 244,351 |
| 2005 | South Africa | Australia won by 184 runs | 71,910 | 192,337 |
| 2004 | Pakistan | Australia won by 9 wickets | 61,552 | 129,079 |
| 2003 | India | Australia won by 9 wickets | 62,613 | 179,662 |
| 2002 | England | Australia won by 5 wickets | 64,189 | 177,658 |
| 2001 | South Africa | Australia won by 9 wickets | 61,796 | 153,025 |
| 2000 | West Indies | Australia won by 352 runs | 73,233 | 133,299 |
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Favourites
During the 1980s, the coveted Test was drawn five times. From 1999 to 2007 Australia was undefeated on Boxing Day. But, in 2008, South Africa spoiled the run and in 2010, England broke our hearts winning the Boxing Day Test match and the Ashes. While the Boxing Day Test match odds favour the home side, the battle has been shared in the past and the truly international nature of the sport means players from across the globe play on foreign pitches regularly. With many of our top athletes spending more and more time abroad playing in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), the professional home of the “big bash” Twenty20 (T20) game, Aussie turf is not as familiar as it once was.
Sri Lanka vs Australia
Sri Lanka’s 2012-13 tour of Australia bilateral series begins with the first Test against Australia at Bellerive Oval, Hobart, on December 14. The form from this clash will greatly influence the outcome of the Boxing Day Test (second Test) a week later. While Australia currently leads Sri Lanka on the official ICC Test ranks, (as of September) and are notoriously hard line in front of a local crowd – with many tipping the Aussies to take out the Proteas during their three-Test series at the Gabba, Brisbane from November 9th – Sri Lanka should not be underestimated. Sri Lanka have only played Test cricket on December 26th once – the infamous “chucking” scandal of 1995 – however, the side has had success at the MCG in the game’s restricted arrangement in recent times. Plus, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are in good form. Interestingly, former captain Ricky Ponting is the only man who played in the 1995 Test likely to step out onto the ‘G this Boxing Day.
Boasting a squad featuring the likes of Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, and Sunil Narine, it’s not hard to see why the West Indies are amongst the frontrunners in Boxing Day Test betting. The Windies kick off their campaign against Australia on September 22nd and with some of the top players in Twenty20 cricket, they will be hoping to go all the way.
Boxing Day Test match betting will favour the team most likely to match up to the pace and bounce of the MCG pitch.
Memorable Boxing Day Tests
With six decades of history, the Boxing Day Test match has produced some truly memorable stoushes, and mishaps. The subsequently named “Mystery Test” of 1974 continues to create confusion. Here are three of the best from the 1980s until now.
2006: Warne’s 700th Test Wicket
The 2006 affair marked the MCG’s 100th Test match and 89,155 came out in respect. The day was already an occasion, but the “Spin King” added that something special. Shane Warne claimed his 700th Test scalp – a world record – when he bowled England opener Andrew Strauss on Boxing Day. Warnie – the undisputed best spin bowler of all time – retired from Test cricket following Australia’s easy win in front of his home crowd.
1995: Hair v ‘Murali’
The 1995 Boxing Day Test will forever be remembered for umpire Darrell Hair ruling Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralidaran a “chucker”. Hair no-balled “Murali” seven times in the course of three over’s, arguing the then 23-year-old was bending his arm and straightening it in the course of delivery. In his autobiography, the Australian umpire later described the spin bowler’s action as “diabolical.” As for the result, Australia won by 10 wickets.
1983: Yallop’s 29 Boundaries
Not a big crowd – 40,240 – but it is the clashes against England that draw record numbers. However, those who did make it to the ‘G in ’83 were witness to something special. Pakistani Mohsin Khan scored a heroic 152, but his effort was overshadowed by Graham Yallop’s magnificent 268. Yallop hit 29 fours, mostly with grandiose drives and clever flicks off his toes, and it was his third double-century of the season. The match ended in a high-scoring draw.
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