5 Best Boxing Day Tests in history
The matches kept the players and the audience at the edge of their seats.
Test matches in cricket are generally significant, but there are some events such as the Ashes and the Boxing Day Tests which make it even more special. Every cricket enthusiast’s much-awaited date of the year is December 26th which is known as Boxing Day.
The Boxing Day Test match is a Test match that is played on Boxing Day (The day after Christmas). Predominantly, it is played by Australia against the touring side at the most famous Melbourne Cricket Ground. But, not only Australia plays the Boxing Day Test.
New Zealand and South Africa also host the Boxing Day Test matches. On this year 2021’s Boxing Day, Australia will host the England cricket team for the most prominent Ashes and South Africa will host the Indians. Boxing Day has seen some special matches without a doubt.
In the article, let’s take a look at 5 best Boxing Day Tests
1. Australia vs England in 1982
This was a close one. Three runs separated the teams after both sides’ first innings, and three runs separated them at the end of the match. England were 2-0 down heading into this fourth Test of the 1982/83 Ashes, but when Australia had stumbled to 218-9 chasing 292 for victory, England were firmly the favourites.
Norman Cowans, the English pace bowler was playing his third Test match and was on his way to a career-best 6-77. At the close of play on day four, the home team had reached 255-9 due to the heroics of a last-wicket stand between Allan Border and Jeff Thomson. England needed one wicket, and Australia needed 37 runs to seal the game.
Thomson and Border got off to a rollicking start on that final morning and it appeared Australia would pull off a remarkable win. Then, with just four runs needed, and with the final wicket stand worth 70 runs, Thomson had a big old swish at a ball from Ian Botham. The resulting edge was parried in the air and Geoff Miller was quick to react and claimed the catch. This is still one of the best Test matches and best of the Boxing Day Tests.
2. New Zealand vs Sri Lanka in 2014
New Zealand inaugurated the Boxing Day Test ritual on their home soil in 1998. After which it was continued for a few years and it was on a halt for more than a decade. The Boxing Day Test was played in 2014 after 11 long years in the Kiwi soil at Christchurch.
The guests for the Kiwi’s Boxing Day Test were Sri Lanka. After being put to bat first, New Zealand were 88-3 and their skipper Brendon McCullum stepped in. The Boxing Day couldn’t have become much better as the fireworks were lit by their skipper.
McCullum hit the then fastest century by a New Zealander in just 74 balls and went on to score 195 runs with whopping 18 fours and 11 sixes. He also broke the record of fastest 150 runs in the history of Test cricket in just 103 deliveries. The mighty inning of Karunaratne (152) was overshadowed by the Kiwi skipper’s innings and New Zealand eventually won the match by 8 wickets after imposing a follow-on.
3. Australia vs India in 2003
This day witnessed one of the best batting displays from two batters of both sides. India was the opposition team on a historic day and it was their fourth Boxing Day appearance. India won the toss and elected to bat first. The innings started with the explosive attacking of the batter Virender Sehwag.
Sehwag played a powerful knock of 195 in just 233 deliveries (25 boundaries and five sixes) in less than a day amongst the ferocious Australian crowd. Other than that, the team finished with 366 runs on board with five batters including Sachin Tendulkar getting out for a duck.
On contrary, Ricky Ponting registered his career-best score of 257 runs off 458 balls along with the overlooked 136 of Mathew Hayden. The Australian team posed 558 runs and India managed to give only a target of 95 and the Aussies chased with ease. The match also witnessed the 6-wicket haul of Anil Kumble and 92 of Rahul Dravid.
4. South Africa vs India in 1996
South Africa is one of the sides along with Australia to host The Boxing Day Tests regularly. Since 1992, the tradition has been followed religiously. In 1996, the Indians played their second Boxing Day Test in and against South Africa.
India, under the youngster Sachin Tendulkar, elected to field first. Andrew Hudson was their highest run-scorer with 80 runs and the team set the score of 235 after withstanding the fifer of Venkatesh Prasad. The Indian batting line-up devastatingly collapsed and managed to hit just 100. Allan Donald picked a fifer in that inning.
Similar to the first innings Venkatesh Prasad picked five wickets and Hudson hit a half-century along with Adam Bacher and Brian McMillan and set a target of 395 for the Indians. Again the Indian batting severely crumbled for 66 and the Proteas won the match by 395 runs, then one of the top margin victories.
5. Australia vs India in 2018
One of the nightmare matches of the Australian team and on contrary the dream match for the Indians happened in the Boxing Day Test in 2018. History was created by the young Indian team under Virat Kohli on Australian soil by winning the Boxing Day Test for the first time.
India won the toss and batted first. Cheteshwar Pujara’s 106 and Virat’s 82 aided the team to score 443 runs. India declared the innings and Australia was all out for just 151 runs. The star Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s six wickets were the turning point.
The Indian team imposed a target of 399 runs for Australia and they just hit 261 out of it, which eventually resulted in a 137-runs victory for India. Bumrah’s nine-wicket haul was the highlight and so was the man of the match. India created history by winning the match and sealed their first-ever series triumph on Australian soil in the next match.
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