What Is the Boxing Day Test? Discover the Surprising History Behind the Cricket Tradition 🏏

The Boxing Day Test has a long history but surprisingly it has nothing to do with any sport in the world. Boxing Day is observed on December 26, one day after Christmas, and is a holiday in many countries. It is derived from 'Christmas Box' that is presented to the needy the day after Christmas, the concept originated from Britain. And it spread across many countries, especially the ones that were under the British Empire. 26th of December is a public holiday in Australia and schools, as well as most of the offices, remain closed. As such the test match played on December 26 is called 'Boxing Day Test'. Generally, the Boxing Day Test is played in Melbourne Cricket Ground which has the stadium capacity of 90,000 spectators. The tradition started in 1950, however, it was not until 1980 that the Melbourne Cricket Club and Cricket Australia secured the rights to begin a test match on Boxing Day. Australia has always had an excellent record playing at home, and especially in this test, with a success rate of more than 75%.