In Praise of the Boxing Day Test Match
After the madness of Christmas, there’s nothing quite like sitting in the shade on a hot summer day, eating cold turkey sandwiches, reading the paper and chatting with friends. And if the venue happens to be the grand Melbourne Cricket Ground and there’s a cricket game in action – all the better.
Boxing Day (December 26) is the traditional first day of the epic sports fest known as a Test Match. Tests are cricket matches that last five days. This year, the all-conquering Australian team take on an experienced (i.e., aging) India in a four-test series that kicks off in Melbourne. With a stunning batting line-up and none-too-shabby bowlers, the Indians are no easy-beats; they’ve just come off series wins against England and Pakistan. And although the Indians have never won a series in Australia, we can expect a great tussle.
Last year almost 80,000 people flocked to Boxing Day to watch the Aussies play traditional rivals England. And while it’s unlikely there’ll be quite as many people this time around, there will still be a big crowd, lots of ‘colourful characters’ and a goodly (if ungodly) amount of beer consumed.For people from places where cricket isn’t played, the game can be a bit of a mystery, and a five-day haul (where a draw is as likely a result as any) is just too much zen. But for novices and experts alike, the MCG is as good a time and place as any to see this sport unfurl in all its glory.
Play gets underway at 10.30 on each of the days, but for the best seats (behind the bowler’s arm) you’d need to arrive an hour or two earlier. All going well, the days wrap up at 5.30pm. How very civilised.
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