One of my earliest memories of the beautiful sport of cricket was being told to wake up the morning after Christmas in 2002 for this game called the “Boxing Day Test”, an annual tradition in Australia, the team I had just seen being conquered at my beloved Eden Gardens the year before. Four-year-old me woke up at school-time and watched Justin Langer score 250, as the commentators and my dad went on and on about this special event — the Boxing Day Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
On that day, even before I knew what a bucket list was, I dreamed of being there one day, present at the MCG for a Boxing Day Test. As I grew up, I made it a personal ritual to never miss a Boxing Day Test on TV, no matter where I was or who Australia were playing. Every year, I would sigh a little, staring at the full stands of the MCG, wondering if my dream would ever come true. Until this year.
This Boxing Day, my partner got us tickets for the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan (scheduled between December 26 and 30, 2023) as my Christmas present, and we were in attendance for not one but two days of gripping cricket. On day one, we went nice and early to the stadium. From even a few tram stops away, it became apparent that the city was abuzz for the match. Spectators were dressed in two broad types of outfits — jerseys of Australia or Pakistan or one of the local Big Bash League teams such as the Melbourne Renegades on the one hand and formal wear consisting of suits and ties with trousers and covered shoes on the other.
I went home considerably happier than the average Australian fan
Rain played spoilsport for parts of the opening day
Getty ImagesOn the opening day, the game and the occasion had a formal air that was unfamiliar to me, something I had never experienced before in cricket stadiums like Eden or even the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Even in the third-floor section, where we got tickets in the general admission seats, patrons were dressed in their Sunday best, although jackets were soon replaced by hoodies as dark clouds and swirling winds came in from the east of the stadium.
As the rain came in and people started to leave, we got closer seats at pitch level. The atmosphere was less formal and collectively subdued following the resumption of play, especially as Pakistan made a few inroads into the Australian top order with the conditions perfectly suited to fast bowling. Only glimpses of their favourite stars lifted the Australian fans’ moods, as players came out to the balconies or at the edge of the boundary to give autographs. My Boxing Day ended with autographs from Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey amd and Nathan Lyon, as I went home considerably happier than the average Australian fan, who would not have wanted to lose Steve Smith late in the day.
We did not have tickets for days two and three, though I kept following the game, with Pakistan dominating a few spells on both days, stirring hopes of a first Test win in Australia since the 1995-96 tour. Australia ended day three at 187 for six, with a lead of 241 in their second innings. Realising day four was likely to be when the Test would be decided, my partner and I decided to get tickets to witness how it would pan out.
The atmosphere on day four was nothing like the first day
Day four witnessed both sets of fans in a raucous mood
Image courtesy: Sourojit GhoshPakistani fans were emboldened by Australia getting all out inside the first session and their own batting effort getting off to a solid start with a strong partnership for the second wicket led by captain Shan Masood. They cheered every run, got on their feet for every boundary, and greeted the end of every other over with chants of “Jeetega bhai jeetega, Pakistan jeetega”. Not to be left far behind, the Aussie fans retorted with calls of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” at every opportunity. Some of the fans even organised cheering contests, with front-row patrons leading choruses of cheers on either side of the aisle. Faced with the unenviable choice of rooting for India’s arch rivals or the men who broke Indian hearts in Ahmedabad, my partner and I joined in with the home team. Even amidst the fierce rivalry, both sets of fans united in support of a man carrying a Palestinian flag before stadium security rushed to take it down.
As the Pakistani innings progressed, their fans got progressively hopeful of a win, even as Pakistan kept losing wickets. At 219 for five, with Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha set on 35 and 32, respectively, the travelling fans were at their loudest, sensing a victory that was less than hundred runs away. As Dil Dil Pakistan rang out across the Shane Warne stand, green flags swirled in the easterly wind. Until the turning point of the match arrived.
I got the chance to touch the sacred turf of the MCG and shake hands with the players
The author got to set foot on the MCG grass and also received a signed ball from Josh Hazlewood
Image courtesy: Sourojit GhoshAustralia reviewed an appeal for caught behind with Rizwan having seemingly gloved it off Pat Cummins’s bowling, which was initially given not out on field. The third umpire took over five agonising minutes to decide, with replays suggesting that the ball might have grazed the top of the batter’s wristband. In the stands, rival fans presented their own theories of the incident to each other, though not all Australian supporters were confident that it was out. Eventually, the on-field umpire was asked to raise his finger, with Rizwan shaking his head while walking off and the Pakistani contingent grumbling in disapproval. From there on out, the atmosphere in the audience mirrored that on the field, with Australian fans cheering on their team as Cummins completed his five-for and Australia bundled out Pakistan before the end of the day’s play to secure a 79-run win.
At the end of the game, both sets of fans shook hands and took pictures, embodying the often overlooked spirit of cricket. Fans were invited on to the ground as the players took part in the presentation ceremony. To my delight, I got the chance to touch the sacred turf of the MCG and shake hands with the players whom I had only seen through the screen prior to the match. My Boxing Day Test ended with an autographed ball from Aussie fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, capping off a couple of dreamy days at one of the great homes of cricket.
Sourojit Ghosh is a fourth year PhD candidate in Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. His academic research focuses on studying human-centeredness in social recommender systems and designing such systems. Outside of his research, Sourojit writes poetry and short thrillers, and is an ardent fan of cricket and football.
