The five most memorable Boxing Day Test moments, picked by an MCG historian
Warne, Lillee and Hayden are just some of the Aussie cricketing greats to make their mark on Boxing Day Tests. But whose feats have been deemed the best?
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Forget about Christmas – the Boxing Day Test is almost upon us.
On the eve of Australia lining up against Pakistan at the MCG, Melbourne Cricket Club historian and librarian David Studham has picked his five most memorable Boxing Day Test moments, in chronological order.
Check out his list and have your say below.
1. Lillee produces “one of the most memorable wickets in MCG history”, 1981
Dennis Lillee knocking over West Indies great Viv Richards with the final ball of the opening day of the 1981 Boxing Day Test ranks as “one of the most memorable wickets in MCG history”, Mr Studham says.
“Richards played on to his stumps, and that left the West Indies at 4/10,” Mr Studham said.
“Australia went on to win that match by the 58 runs, knocking the West Indies over for 161 in the last innings.”
The wicket capped off a remarkable spell in which Lillee claimed three scalps in a 35-minute period before stumps.
He finished the match with 10-127, the seventh and final 10-wicket haul of his career.
Australia’s victory ended a West Indies run of 15 Tests without defeat since February 1980.
2. Border and Thomson’s brave ninth-wicket stand, 1982
Allan Border and Jeff Thomson fell agonisingly short of claiming what would have been a remarkable win for Australia against England in the 1982 Boxing Day Test.
The pair came together at 9/218, chasing 292, and nearly got there.
“On the last day of the Test, we needed 37 runs and England needed one wicket to win,”
Mr Studham said.
“We ended up with more than 18,000 fans coming along for potentially one ball. And of course, we get 33 runs and then poor Thomson gets what I can only describe as not one of Ian Botham’s best balls that gets delivered the outside the off stump.
“Thomson pushes his bat at it, snicks it to Chris Tavaré who flicks it up to be caught by Geoff Miller at slips, and that breaks the hearts of the 18,000 fans at MCG.”
Border was stranded at the non-striker’s end on 62 after spending almost four hours at the crease.
3. The longest day in Test cricket history, 1998
This dead rubber proved to be such an exciting match that English fans celebrated their unlikely victory “like they’d won the Ashes”, Mr Studham recalls.
“The longest day in Test cricket history was the (fourth day of the) 1998 Boxing Day Test,” he said.
“We were washed out on the first day, but the fourth day lasted for eight hours and three minutes, because the umpires decided to take an extra half-hour to force a result. It looked like Australia was going to beat England and score the runs they needed.
“Then, Dean Headley ran amok and changed the course of the game by taking three wickets in 12 deliveries. We ended up falling apart and losing by 12 runs to England in the last innings, really unexpectedly.
“I remember going out to dinner afterwards with a lot of English cricket fans who were out here, and they were so ecstatic that they actually won a match. They were acting like they’d won the Ashes.”
Headley took 6/60 in the second innings to achieve his first five-for and be named player of the match.
4. Warnie gets his 700th Test wicket, 2006
It’s impossible to go past Shane Warne taking his 700th Test scalp when talking about memorable Boxing Day Test moments, Mr Studham says.
In the 47th over on day one, Warne deceived Strauss with a quicker, well-pitched up delivery that rattled his middle stump.
“When Warnie came in and bowled Andrew Strauss, the whole place just shook,” he said.
“He was the first player to capture 700 Test wickets.
“We had hoped to break the record of the 90,800 for a day at the MCG, but we only got to 89,155 because it was cold, wet and damp.
“Australia ended up winning by an innings in three days.”
It was Warne’s 37th five-wicket haul in a Test match.
Mr Studham said the spin king’s hat-trick against England in 1994 was another clear MGC cricket highlight – but it technically took place in a Christmas Eve Test.
It was the first Ashes hat-trick in 90 years and capped off by a leaping David Boon catch.
“It was my first Test actually working at the MCG – what a match to start with,” he said.
5. Hayden’s record six Boxing Day tons, 2001-2007
Matthew Hayden scored his record sixth Boxing Day Test century against India in 2007, making 124.
But Mr Studham considers his 2006 ton, in which he and “Andrew Symonds destroyed England”, to be the most memorable.
The star opener reached 153 to add another highlight to the dominant Aussie win also containing Warne’s 700th wicket.
Mr Studham said Hayden’s haul was the highest number of Boxing Day centuries scored by one player, but Sir Don Bradman held the record for most MCG tons with nine.
He added the Boxing Day Test was formalised by the Australian Cricket Board in 1980.
The MCC Library is open to MCC members and guests throughout the Boxing Day Test, and on other days, to anyone who books an MCG Tour.
Visitors can check out a special exhibition, 150 Treasures, collated by librarians to celebrate the Library’s 150th birthday. Over summer, these include cricket treasures like the newspaper obituary mourning the “death of English cricket” from which The Ashes was named.
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