Learn 128-Year-Old History of Boxing Day
The first match of the four-match Test series between India and Australia (Ind vs Aus) was played in Adelaide, in which Team India suffered a humiliating 8-wicket defeat. The second Test of the arrangement will presently be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26, otherwise called the Boxing Day Test. Now the question arises that Test cricket is fine, but what happens to box. So let me tell you that boxing here does not mean boxing, but ‘Christmas box’.History of the first Boxing Day match
In many countries of the world, the second day of Christmas (December 25) i.e. December 26 is called Boxing Day. On the second day of Christmas when people meet their friends and family, they give them gifts inboxes. This custom has been continuing for many years. It is believed that this day is named after the 'Christmas box'. Along with this the employees who also had to work on Christmas day and their boss gave gifts the next day on 26th December, which often included food.
There is another theory associated with Boxing Day. During the festive season, a box is kept in the church, in which people donate to the needy. People associated with the church open the box on December 26, the second day after Christmas, and distribute its goods to the poor and needy.
This is how the connection between Cricket and Boxing Day happened
Now we know how Boxing Day got associated with cricket. A match at the Sheffield Shield was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1892. This started the tradition of cricket matches between Victoria and New South Wales during Christmas. In any case, the main global Test coordinate was played in Melbourne in 1950. The match was played among Australia and England. The match started on December 22, but gradually Boxing Day became a part of cricket history.
85,596 spectators arrived to watch the Test match
Only four Test matches were played in Melbourne during Boxing Day before 1980. They played in 1952, 1968 and 1974 and 1975. The other matches were played in Adelaide in 1967, 1972 and 1976. In the 1975 Clive Lloyd match between the West Indies and Australia, he realized that the Boxing Day Test match could be a big one. The first day of the match was watched by 85,596 spectators. However, the tradition has not started even after this match.
Australia started playing Boxing Day Tests regularly
Almost five years later Australia started playing Boxing Day Test matches in Melbourne. This was followed by a single Test match in Melbourne in 1989. The one-day match between Australia and Sri Lanka was played on this day. Matches are played not only in Australia but also in New Zealand and South Africa.
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