Jacob Bethell during an England training session at Melbourne Cricket Ground. (Image: Getty/Morgan Hancock) December 26 arrives every year with more than just post-Christmas leftovers. In Australia, it signals the start of one of cricket’s most iconic spectacles — the Boxing Day Test. When an Ashes series is being played Down Under, the Boxing Day Test is traditionally the fourth match of the five-Test contest between Australia and England, drawing massive crowds and global attention.
What is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is observed on December 26, the day after Christmas, in the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth nations including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.
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The origins of the name are debated. One widely accepted explanation links it to alms boxes kept in churches, which were opened after Christmas to distribute donations to the poor. Another theory traces it to the Victorian-era tradition of employers giving servants and workers “Christmas boxes” — gifts, bonuses or leftover food — on the day after Christmas, along with a day off. Boxing Day also coincides with the Feast of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr, a day traditionally associated with charity and giving. Over time, the day has evolved into a mix of extended Christmas celebrations, charity, shopping sales and, crucially for sports fans, major sporting events.
Why is cricket central to Boxing Day in Australia?
In the Southern Hemisphere, December falls in the middle of summer, making it ideal for outdoor sport. Australia embraced Boxing Day as a marquee sporting occasion, and cricket became its centrepiece. The Boxing Day Test is played annually at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the largest and most historic stadiums in world sport. The tradition began in 1950, when Australia hosted England in a Test match starting on December 26. Since then, the fixture has become a permanent feature of the international cricket calendar. Crowds exceeding 60,000 on this day are common, and the match has produced some of Test cricket’s most memorable moments.
A rich cricketing history
India, too, has featured regularly in Boxing Day Tests in Australia, playing at the MCG on multiple tours since the 1980s. Over the years, the ground has witnessed historic performances, including debutant breakthroughs, marathon innings and series-defining spells. While Australia is most closely associated with the Boxing Day Test, similar matches are also played in South Africa and New Zealand when touring schedules allow, though none carry the scale or tradition of Melbourne’s showpiece.
Boxing Day beyond cricket
Globally, Boxing Day is now marked by:Sport: Premier League football in England, horse racing, and major cricket fixturesShopping: Large-scale retail sales in countries like the UK, Australia and CanadaCharity: Donations of food, clothes and money to those in needOutdoors: Walks, hikes and winter activities in colder countries Yet in Australia, nothing quite matches the sight of the MCG packed to the rafters on December 26.