The second AUS vs PAK Test match at the MCG in Melbourne will be this year’s Boxing Day Test Match.
New Delhi: The Boxing Day Test is an iconic red-ball clash against the Australian team at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, on December 26 and it ends either on December 30 or before that. The second Test match of the three-match series between Pat Cummins-led Australia and Shan Masood’s Pakistan will be this year’s Boxing Day Test Match.
In 1980, Cricket Australia officially made Test matches played on December 26 as Boxing Day Test. It has a lot of importance for the Australians as this custom goes back as early as 1865, signifying a Sheffield Shield first-class match between Victoria and New South Wales.
Even winning ‘Player of the Match’ has a lot if value in this match as the player also receives Mullagh medal. A special award named after the legendary Australian cricketer, Johnny Mullagh.
Australia, riding on a wave of success, aimed to continue their dominance over Pakistan at the MCG. The team, led by veterans like David Warner and Nathan Lyon, embraced the journey, dismissing any notion of an ‘end goal.’
On the other side, Pakistan, already dealing with the loss of Khurram Shahzad due to a stress fracture, faced another setback as spinner Noman Ali underwent an emergency appendix removal. As both teams navigated their challenges, the stage was set for an enthralling contest at the MCG
The reigning ICC World Test Championship winners opted to trim their playing group from 14 to 13 for the iconic MCG Test match with Morris’s omission the only change in the squad following their emphatic win over Pakistan in Perth.
Morris has been released from the Test squad to play in the BBL following the first Test against Pakistan in Perth. Australia’s front-line attack has pulled up well from the 360-run win over Pakistan in the opening match in Perth, increasing the chances that they likely to field an unchanged XI for the MCG Test.
Squads
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner
Pakistan: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.