A marvellous summer of cricket got underway on December 26 with the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground signalling the return of major events to the sporting capital of Australia.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula was at the MCG on December 26 to thank all Victorians for their efforts and sacrifice to stop the spread of coronavirus and make events like the Test possible. This was the first time that fans were able to attend any sporting event at the MCG since the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final on 8 March. A crowd of up to 30,000 per day will see Australia take on India at the MCG, with strict public health measures to help make sure the event stays safe. To help ensure fans have a COVID Safe day out, the Melbourne Cricket Club and Cricket Australia have implemented a comprehensive COVIDSafe Event Plan, ensuring the health and safety of players, spectators and workers. This includes a limit to the crowd size, COVIDSafe Marshals at the venue to ensure physical distancing within the MCG and in queues, allocated and staggered seating to ensure groups are spaced apart, sanitiser stations throughout the precinct and cashless transactions.
Those who booked tickets with a New South Wales address have been contacted with a reminder about the current restrictions in place and offered refunds if they are unable to attend the game.
Broadcast in over 100 countries, the Boxing Day Test is an iconic symbol of Melbourne. The Border-Gavaskar trophy is one of the most fiercely contested in cricket, with world number-one Australia seeking to take the trophy back from the Indian side this summer. India won the last Boxing Day Test played between the two sides in 2018.
Australia is scheduled to play the Boxing Day Test at the MCG against England in 2021 and South Africa in 2022. The Boxing Day Test kick-starts an action-packed COVIDSafe summer of cricket, which also includes six Big Bash fixtures at the MCG featuring Melbourne’s own Stars and Renegades in January.