BOXING DAY SPECIALS
Santa suits, fans doing the Mexican wave . . . all part of Australia-India cricket protocol for tens of thousands on the day after Christmas each year in Melbourne, S4 Marlies-Bulldogs bumped from ACC by juniors, but tradition continues,
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA— They arrived in shuffling throngs bearing sweaters and shorts, armed in their summer finest to keep them cool on a mild to warm day. They hopped off silver train carriages that came from the suburbs and emerged from cars.
The walk from Richmond Station is made more appealing as the sounds of a bagpiper, playing “Waltzing Matilda”, filled the air giving the day a sense of occasion. The masses are headed toward the mecca of cricket, in the heart of its season, for an international match between Australia and India.
These thousands of cricket fans make the same trek to the Melbourne Cricket Ground each year on Boxing Day, a tradition that started in 1950. This Boxing Day, Australia took on India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a series played over four test matches; India is staring down the barrel of a series loss at 2-0 and need to win the third Test to stay in the hunt.
Craig Nicholson, 37, said he attended Boxing Day last year against England along with 91,112 fans.
“It had the atmosphere of a World Cup final,” he said. “To come along and watch your country do battle — it’s a great day for anyone really. It feels like a holiday. Everyone is on holiday and everyone is in a jovial mood.”
The Boxing Day Test is Australia’s flagship cricket event of the year. When Australia won the toss and elected to bat first, beach balls were being tossed around the crowd by grown men posing as Santa Claus and by the main lunch break the Mexican Wave had completed at least 25 rotations around the ground. The Boxing Day Test is on par with the NHL’s Winter Classic. It’s catered to everyone: cricket diehards and those who call themselves casual fans.
Stephen O’Connor, 25, said he’s been to the last five Boxing Day Test matches because it’s a chance to catch up with friends after Christmas Day.
“You get to hang out with mates and watch Australia dominate usually,” he said. “I like it because it’s like a big party, and you get to watch cricket at the same time.”
Torontonians love their sport, but Australians — and particularly Melburnians — take it up a notch. They live for it. The Melbourne Cup horse race attracts more than 100,000 people, Australian Open crowds can soar near 680,000 for a 14-day period and a regular Australian Rules match will see 80,000 fans pour through the turnstiles. Melbourne has two soccer teams, nine Australian Rules football teams, three basketball teams and two hockey teams. The state government injected $58 million into a world-class winter sport facility for an array of sports they don’t even play often internationally. Sport is part of Australia’s cloth and Melbourne is the sporting epicentre of it all. Locals will go to great lengths to either play it or watch it.
For the viewers at home, the spectacle and experience is enhanced
“I like it because it’s like a big party, and you get to watch cricket at the same time.” STEPHEN O’CONNOR 25, CRICKET FAN
with exhaustive shots of a surface akin to carpet freshly mowed in three or four different angles, with players draped in white cloth looking like shepherds in a field from the air. With little else capturing the imagination of the country on TV post-Christmas, the Boxing Day Test is a chance for commentators to explain the game’s nuances and revisit nostalgic and simpler times.
Australia, as you’d expect, has dominated on Boxing Day; in 38 matches they have wrangled a 22-8-8 record. Against India they are 6-0-1 on Dec. 26. Since 1999 Australia has only lost two Boxing Day Test matches: against South Africa in ’08 and against a rampant England in 2010.
While Boxing Day is festive and cheery, it’s also a day where history and records unfold. In1993, Australia played South Africa for the first time in years as the apartheid ended. That ended in a draw, but having South Africa back in cricket again was a momentous occasion. Shane Warne claimed his 700th scalp against England during the Ashes in the 2007 series on an overcast Boxing Day, a moment shared by 79,426 Brits and Aussies. And in 2010, Australian captain Ricky Ponting batted for the last time at the MCG, when he made 14 against England as Australia got skittled for a lowly 98 on a rain-affected day in front of 84,345 fans. All these moments happened on cricket’s biggest stage and biggest day.
For all the beauty of this year’s Boxing Day, sure, there were problems: drunk fans escorted out by police, chaotic lineups for food and merchandise and constant reminders to fans in the sight screen zone to stop moving around during play. All this to say, the familiar Boxing Day spirit prevailed throughout the day for a stadium divided. There was real unity: everyone was cold when the sun was blocked by the clouds, everyone hugely supported cricket like hockey fans, and most of the crowd stayed until the last ball at 5:28 p.m.
Australia’s all-rounder Shane Watson, who made 52 runs against India on Boxing Day, was interviewed by cricket commentator Mark Nicholas before the close of play and talked about how special Boxing Day is to be part of as a player.
“Growing up as a kid it’s something I’ve always really looked forward to after Christmas, sitting down watching the Boxing Day Test with my dad,” he said. “It’s great to see Test cricket still alive.”