The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as The 'G, is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, with 95,000 seats and an additional 5,000 capacity in standing room for a total of just over 100,000 it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the 11th largest globally, and the second-largest cricket ground by capacity, after the Narendra Modi Stadium. The MCG is within walking distance of the city centre and is served by Richmond and Jolimont railway stations, as well as the route 70, route 75, and route 48 trams. It is adjacent to Melbourne Park and is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct.
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at the international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings in which players have to play until they get all batsmen out; the match ends when all but one of the batsmen of the opposing team are out. It is scheduled to last for up to five days with 6 hours of play each day. A minimum of 90 overs are scheduled to be bowled per day making it the sport with the longest playing time. In the past, some Test matches had no time limit and were called Timeless Tests. The term "test match" was originally coined in 1861–62 but in a different context.
The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in men's international cricket. As the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing in the first ever Test match in 1877, the team also plays One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket, participating in both the first ODI, against England in the 1970–71 season and the first T20I, against New Zealand in the 2004–05 season, winning both games. The team draws its players from teams playing in the Australian domestic competitions – the Sheffield Shield, the Australian domestic limited-overs cricket tournament and the Big Bash League. Australia are the current ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup champions. They are regarded as most successful cricket teams in the history of Cricket.
International cricket matches are played between the teams representing their nations, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The main forms are Test matches, One-Day matches and Twenty20 matches.
The England men's cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club since 1903. England, as a founding nation, is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status. Until the 1990s, Scottish and Irish players also played for England as those countries were not yet ICC members in their own right. England are the current ICC Men's T20 World Cup champions.
Damien Richard Martyn is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer, who played Tests and ODIs. He played for the national team sporadically in 1992–1994 before becoming a regular ODI player from 1999 to 2000 and a regular Test player in 2000 until his retirement in late 2006. He was primarily a right-handed middle-order batsman with a 'classical' technique, known in particular for his elegant strokemaking square of the wicket on the off-side and through the covers. Martyn was a member of the Australian team that won two consecutive world titles in a row: the 1999 Cricket World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, as well as being a member of the team that won the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy.
The Australian women's national cricket team represent Australia in international women's cricket. Currently captained by Alyssa Healy and coached by Shelley Nitschke, they are the top team in all world rankings assigned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the women's game.
The Boxing Day Test match is a cricket Test match held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, involving the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team that is touring Australia during the southern summer. It begins annually on Boxing Day and is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
David Andrew Warner is an Australian T20I international cricketer and a former Test vice-captain. A left-handed opening batsman, Warner is the first Australian cricketer in 132 years to be selected for the national team in any format without experience in first-class cricket. He plays for New South Wales and Sydney Thunder in domestic cricket. Warner was a prominent member of the victorious Australian squad of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he was the Player of the Tournament, the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship, and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Cricket is the most popular summer sport in Australia at international, domestic and local levels. It is regarded as the national summer sport, and widely played across the country, especially from the months of September to April. The peak administrative body for both professional and amateur cricket is Cricket Australia. The 2017–18 National Cricket Census showed 1,558,821 Australians engaged in cricket competitions or programs – an increase of 9% from the previous year. 30% of cricket's participants are now female, and 6 in every 10 new participants are female, one of the highest year-on-year participation growth figures. In terms of attendance figures, more than 2.3 million people attended the cricket during the 2017–18 summer, surpassing the record of 1.8 million set in 2016–17.
Steven Peter Devereux Smith is an Australian international cricketer and former captain of the Australian national team in all three formats of the game. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test batsmen since Don Bradman. Smith was a member of the Australian teams that won the 2015 and 2023 Cricket World Cup, the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, and the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final.
Shane Keith Warne, nicknamed Warnie, was an Australian international cricketer whose career ran from 1992 to 2007. Widely considered to be one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire, the Melbourne Stars and Australia. Warne also played for and coached the Rajasthan Royals, including captaining the team to victory in the inaugural season of the IPL.
Patrick James Cummins is an Australian international cricketer who captains the Australia men's national cricket team in Test and One Day International cricket. He is also the current captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2024 Indian Premier League. Cummins is widely regarded as an all-time great fast bowler in Test cricket and one of the finest fast bowlers of his generation. He is also known for being a handy lower-order batsman. Cummins was a member of the Australian team that won the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and was the winning captain of the 2021–23 ICC World Test Championship and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
The 2019 international cricket season was from May 2019 to September 2019. The 2019 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales took place during this time, starting on 30 May 2019. 10 Test matches, 78 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 109 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), as well as 1 Women's Test, 9 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) and 130 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), were played during this period. Additionally, a number of other T20I/WT20I matches were also scheduled to be played in minor series involving associate nations. The season started with India leading the Test cricket rankings, England leading the ODI rankings and Pakistan leading the Twenty20 rankings. On 3 May, the International Cricket Council (ICC) expanded the men's T20I rankings to include all current Full Member and Associate members of the ICC, featuring 80 teams. In the women's rankings, Australia women lead both the WODI and WT20I tables.
The 2019–20 international cricket season was from September 2019 to April 2020. 29 Test matches, 78 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 145 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), as well as 23 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) and 61 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), were scheduled to be played during this period. Additionally, a number of other T20I/WT20I matches were also scheduled to be played in minor series involving associate nations. The season started with India leading the Test cricket rankings, England leading the ODI rankings and Pakistan leading the Twenty20 rankings. In the women's rankings, Australia women lead both the WODI and WT20I tables. The 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia took place during this time, starting on 21 February 2020, with hosts Australia winning the tournament for the fifth time.
The 2019 English cricket season ran between 26 March and 26 September. It was the 120th in which the County Championship has been an official competition and featured first-class, one-day and Twenty20 cricket competitions throughout England and Wales.
The India cricket team is scheduled to tour Australia from November 2024 to January 2025 to play the Australia cricket team. The tour will consist of five Test matches. The Test matches will form part of the 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship. In March 2024, the Cricket Australia (CA) announced the venues for the Test series. It will be the first Test series between India and Australia comprising five matches since 1992. On 26 March 2024, the CA confirmed the full tour itinerary.
The Pakistan cricket team are scheduled to tour Australia in November 2024 to play the Australia cricket team. The tour will consist of three One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. In March 2024, the Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the fixtures for the tour, as a part of the 2024–25 home international season.
The India women's cricket team is scheduled to tour Australia in December 2024 to play three One Day International (ODI) matches. The series will form part of the 2022–2025 ICC Women's Championship. In March 2024, the Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the fixtures for the tour, as a part Australia's 2024–25 home international season. The series will run alongside the men's Test series between Australia and India.
The England women's cricket team are scheduled to tour Australia in January and February 2025 to play the Australia women's cricket team in the The Women's Ashes. The tour will consist of one Women's Test match, three Women's One Day International (WODI) and three Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) matches. In March 2024, the Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the fixtures for the series, as a part of Australia's 2024–25 home international season.
