| Boxing Day Test | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Sporting event |
| Begins | 26 December |
| Ends | On or before 30 December |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Venue | Centurion Park |
| Location(s) | Centurion, Gauteng |
| Country | South Africa |
| Inaugurated | 1913 |
The Boxing Day Test is a traditional cricket match which is held in South Africa annually. [1]
The history of South Africa's Boxing Day Test traces back to 1913, with a match against England in Johannesburg. [1] The tradition became more established after South Africa's return to international cricket in the early 1990s, with the 1992 match against India being a notable milestone. [1]
In 2012, an attempt was made to replace the Test with a T20I format, but it was unsuccessful. [1] [2] [3]
In 2020, the Boxing Test match against Sri Lanka was notably played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 precautions. [1]
On several occasions South Africa has played in Australia's annual Boxing Day Test as the touring side; on such occasions no Boxing Day Test match was held in South Africa. [1]
The first modern Boxing Day Test was held at St George's Park Cricket Ground in Port Elizabeth in 1992. [1] Two years later, in 1994, the venue shifted to Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban. Durban's Kingsmead remained the predominant venue for the event until 2011, when the Test was hosted at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town. [4]
In 2018, the venue was shifted to SuperSport Park in Centurion, reflecting changes in preferences and attendance patterns. [1]
Dale Willem Steyn is a South African former professional cricketer who played for the South African cricket team. He is regarded by many as the greatest bowler of the Modern Era. During the 2007–08 season, Steyn achieved a tally of 78 wickets at an average of 16.24, and was subsequently rewarded with the ICC 2008 Test Cricketer of the Year Award. He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2013, and the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2013 in 2014's Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. He was featured in Wisden Cricketers of the Decade at the end of 2019. He also was included in the ICC Test Team of the Decade at the end of 2020.
Centurion Park is a cricket ground in Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa. It is also known as SuperSport Park since television company SuperSport bought shares in the stadium. The capacity of the ground is 22,000.
The England cricket team toured South Africa from 8 November 1938 to 14 March 1939, playing five Test matches against the South Africa national team and 13 tour matches against various provincial sides. England won the third Test by an innings and 13 runs, but the other four Tests finished as draws, including the final timeless Test, which was played over the course of 10 days. The final Test was declared a draw, as the England team had to leave to ensure they caught the boat home from Cape Town.
Jill Kennare is an Australian former cricketer who played as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 12 Test matches and 19 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1979 and 1987, including captaining the side on their 1984 tour of India. She played domestic cricket for South Australia.
Kannanur Lokesh Rahul is an Indian international cricketer. A right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman, Rahul plays for Karnataka at the domestic level and captains the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League.
Matthew William Short is an Australian cricketer. He represents Victoria at state level and plays for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League. He previously played for the Melbourne Renegades.
Events in the year 2019 in South Africa.
The India cricket team toured South Africa from December 2021 and January 2022 to play three Tests and three One Day International (ODI) matches. The Test matches formed part of the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship.
The Boxing Day Test is a cricket Test match held in New Zealand, involving the New Zealand national cricket team against a touring side.
