Cricket – Boxing Day Test Preview

2010 Boxing Day Test Preview

Melbourne Cricket Ground – Sun 26 December 2010

Boxing Day in Melbourne is the first day of the 4th Ashes Test, and with the series currently a 1-1 draw there are record crowds expected. The world record for the highest attendance at a single day of Test cricket was 90,800 which was the crowd at the MCG on the first day of the Australia v West Indies series in 1961. The MCG can hold over 100,000.

England currently holds the Ashes and if the series ends a draw they will retain them. This means Australia has to win at least one of the remaining two tests and must not let England win the other (a draw would be OK). At the first Test in Brisbane the Test was drawn and in Adelaide England beat us. At the third Test at the WACA in Perth England appeared to have the upper hand on day one. In fact Sportsbet were so certain England were going to win that they declared the 2010/11 Ashes series over and paid out bets on England of more than $400,000. However Australia ended up crushing England by 267 runs to give the series draw.

Currently betting on the 4th Test has Australia as $2.40 favourite with England at $2.85 and $3.50 for a draw. Australian Captain Ricky Ponting broke a little finger in Perth but is confident of playing on Boxing Day. Usman Khawaja has been named as the standby player – the 24 year-old is the leading run scorer in the Sheffield Shield this season with 598.

Despite being favourites the Australian team is not doing so well when you look at statistics. This calendar year not a single Australian player has scored 1000 Test runs. Mike Hussey is the closest with 959 runs followed by Shane Watson with 838 runs. Hussey should be able to make the 1000 with the Boxing Day Test but Watson still needs 162 runs. If Hussey doesn’t make it, it will be the first time in a decade that Australia has not had a player in the 1000 club, barring 2007 when Australia only played four Tests. Worldwide 6 players have already made over 1000 with Sachin Tendulkar in the lead with 1543. England has Alastair Cook with 1205 and Jonathan Trott with 1157.

Looking at the international list of wicket takers England is doing better than us there too. Graeme Swann leads with 62 wickets followed by Jimmy Anderson at 52 Mitchell Johnson is in 7th place with 38 wickets.

Despite the statistics we are expecting Australia to win the Boxing Day Test, to have a record crowd, and to go into the New Years Test in Sydney knowing that anything can happen!

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