Australia and India will play the boxing day Test match from tomorrow at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. A boxing day Test at MCG is widely considered one of the most important days in the sporting calendar. The buzz is completely different during the boxing day Test and it has a celebratory vibe throughout the match.
Australia and India players will be hoping that they are at their absolute best during the boxing day Test match and they entertain the large crowd at the MCG. But what makes boxing day Test match so special, why it is considered as the most special Test where every player looks forward to playing in it.
What is a Boxing Day Test Match?
Let’s find out why the 26th of December is marked as a boxing day. Even though it is called a ‘boxing day’ it has nothing to do with Boxing and there are several speculations related to it. The name has its origins from past and tradition. According to one theory, Boxing Day is a reference to Holiday Gifts.
Interestingly in Britain ‘Christmas Box’ refers to Christmas present. The 26th of December one day after Christmas was traditionally a holiday for the helpers where they receive gifts from their superiors and then go home to give the ‘Christmas Boxes’ to their families.
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Also, another reason asserts that Boxing Day refers to an event where the box containing money and gifts for the poor on Christmas was opened the following day. It also has religious links and is celebrated as St.Stephen’s day in Ireland and the Catalonia province of Spain. In several cricketing countries such as Australia, South Africa and New Zealand a boxing day Test match has become a tradition and an important occasion.
Apart from the Australia and India Test, two more boxing day Test matches will be played from tomorrow. New Zealand will face Pakistan at Bay Oval and South Africa will take on Sri Lanka at Centurion.
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