Boxing Day Test (South Africa)

Contents

The Boxing Day Test is a traditional cricket match which is held in South Africa annually.[1]

History

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]

Venue

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.

List of Boxing Day Test matches held in South Africa

Boxing Day Test matches held in South Africa[5]
YearOpposition teamResultVenueRef
1913EnglandEngland won by an innings and 12 runsOld Wanderers, Johannesburg[6]
1922EnglandSouth Africa won by 168 runs[7]
1927EnglandEngland won by 10 wickets[8]
1930EnglandSouth Africa won by 28 runs[9]
1935AustraliaMatch drawn[10]
1938EnglandMatch drawn[11]
1949AustraliaAustralia won by an innings and 85 runsEllis Park, Johannesburg[12]
1953New ZealandSouth Africa won by 132 runs[13]
1956EnglandEngland won by 131 runsWanderers Stadium, Johannesburg[14]
1957AustraliaMatch drawn[15]
1961New ZealandMatch drawn[16]
1964EnglandMatch drawn[17]
1966AustraliaSouth Africa won by 233 runs[18]
1992IndiaSouth Africa won by 9 wicketsSt George's Park, Port Elizabeth[19]
1994New ZealandSouth Africa won by 8 wicketsKingsmead, Durban[20]
1995EnglandMatch drawnSt George's Park, Port Elizabeth[21]
1996IndiaSouth Africa won by 328 runsKingsmead, Durban[22]
1998West IndiesSouth Africa won by 9 wickets[23]
1999EnglandMatch drawn[24]
2000Sri LankaMatch drawn[25]
2002PakistanSouth Africa won by 10 wickets[26]
2003West IndiesSouth Africa won by an innings and 65 runs[27]
2004EnglandMatch drawn[28]
2006IndiaSouth Africa won by 174 runs[29]
2007West IndiesWest Indies won by 128 runsSt George's Park, Port Elizabeth[30]
2009EnglandEngland won by an innings and 98 runsKingsmead, Durban[31]
2010IndiaIndia won by 87 runs[32]
2011Sri LankaSri Lanka won by 208 runs[33]
2013IndiaSouth Africa won by 10 wickets[34]
2014West IndiesMatch drawnSt George's Park, Port Elizabeth[35]
2015EnglandEngland won by 241 runsKingsmead, Durban[36]
2016Sri LankaSouth Africa won by 206 runsSt George's Park, Port Elizabeth[37]
2017ZimbabweSouth Africa won by an innings and 120 runs[38]
2018PakistanSouth Africa won by 6 wicketsCenturion Park, Centurion[39]
2019EnglandSouth Africa won by 107 runs[40][41]
2020Sri LankaSouth Africa won by an innings and 45 runs[42]
2021IndiaIndia won by 113 runs[43][44]
2023IndiaSouth Africa won by an innings and 32 runs[45][46]
2024PakistanSouth Africa won by 2 wickets[47]

Overall Record - South Africa vs Visitors

Opposition TeamGPWDLWin %Recent Test
Australia4121025.00Boxing Day 1966
England13355023.08Boxing Day 2019
India7502071.43Boxing Day 2023
New Zealand3210066.67Boxing Day 1994
Pakistan3300100.00Boxing Day 2024
Sri Lanka4211050.00Boxing Day 2020
West Indies4310075.00Boxing Day 2014
Zimbabwe1100100.00Boxing Day 2017
Total3819109050.00Boxing Day 2023

References

  1. 1.[1.2][1.3][1.4][1.5][1.6][1.7]Richardson, James (December 23, 2020). "Boxing Day Tests in South Africa: History, traditions and results". The South African.
  2. 2."South Africa replace Boxing Day Test with T20". ESPNcricinfo.
  3. 3.Sims, Ant (June 5, 2012). "Boxing Day Test scrapped: Not ideal, but profitable". Daily Maverick.
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  8. 8."SA vs ENG, England tour of South Africa 1927/28, 1st Test at Johannesburg, December 24 - 27, 1927 - Full Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
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  12. 12."SA vs AUS, Australia tour of South Africa 1949/50, 1st Test at Johannesburg, December 24 - 28, 1949 - Full Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
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  39. 39."SA vs PAK, PAK in SA 2018/19, 1st Test at Centurion, December 26 - 28, 2018 - Full Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
  40. 40."SA vs ENG, ICC World Test Championship 2019-2021, 1st Test at Centurion, December 26 - 29, 2019 - Full Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
  41. 41."Test captain candidate Markram offers some insight into his thinking". www.dailyvoice.co.za.
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  43. 43."SA vs IND, India in South Africa 2021/22, 1st Test at Centurion, December 26 - 30, 2021 - Full Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
  44. 44."I'll KO Kohli: Olivier up for Boxing Day fight". www.dailyvoice.co.za.
  45. 45."SA vs IND, India in South Africa 2023/24, 1st Test at Centurion, December 26 - 28, 2023 - Full Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
  46. 46.Tshwaku, Khanyiso. "The Rabada and Rahul show: Proper Boxing Day Test cricket vibes hit Centurion". Sport.
  47. 47."South Africa qualify for WTC final with thrilling 2-wicket win vs Pakistan". India Today. Retrieved 29 December 2024.