Boxing Day is celebrated a day after Christmas (25th Dec) when people give boxes full of gifts for the poor, needy people, servants, etc. Hence, the Test matches which commence on 26th December in venues like Australia, South Africa and New Zealand are generally considered as a boxing day Test match.
The first ever Boxing Day Test match was played between South Africa and New Zealand at Johannesburg in 1961.
In this article, we will see how all teams have performed in Boxing Day Test matches.
Teams on Boxing Day Test matches:
- Australia - 25 wins in 42 games (9 draws)
- South Africa - 14 wins in 31 games (8 draws)
- New Zealand - 6 wins in 14 games (5 draws)
- England - 6 wins in 18 games (6 draws)
- India - 4 wins in 17 games (3 draws)
- Sri Lanka - 2 wins in 9 games (1 draw)
- West Indies - 2 wins in 13 games (2 draws)
- Pakistan - 1 win in 9 games (2 draws)
- Bangladesh - 0 wins in 2 games (0 draws)
- Zimbabwe - 0 wins in 3 games (2 draws)
From the above table, we can see Australia has been the most successful side in Boxing Day Test matches. Still, however, in recent times, India has been doing an excellent job by winning three consecutive Boxing Day Test matches in 2018, 2020 & 2021 respectively.
Boxing Day Test matches:
- South Africa vs New Zealand at Johannesburg, 1961 - Draw
- Australia vs West Indies at Melbourne, 1968 - Australia won by inns & 30 runs
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 1974 - Draw
- Australia vs West Indies at Melbourne, 1975 - Australia won by 8 wickets
- Australia vs New Zealand at Melbourne, 1980 - Draw
- Australia vs West Indies at Melbourne, 1981 - Australia won by 58 runs
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 1982 - England won by 3 runs
- Australia vs Pakistan at Melbourne, 1983 - Draw
- Australia vs India at Melbourne, 1985 - Draw
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 1986 - England won by inns & 14 runs
- Australia vs New Zealand at Melbourne, 1987 - Draw
- India vs West Indies at Kolkata, 1987 - Draw
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 1990 - Australia won by 8 wickets
- Australia vs India at Melbourne, 1991 - Australia won by 8 wickets
- South Africa vs India at Gqeberha, 1992 - South Africa won by 9 wickets
- Australia vs West Indies at Melbourne, 1992 - Australia won by 139 runs
- Australia vs South Africa at Melbourne, 1993 - Draw
- South Africa vs New Zealand at Durban, 1994 - South Africa won by 8 wickets
- Australia vs Sri Lanka at Melbourne, 1995 - Australia won by 10 wickets
- South Africa vs England at Gqeberha, 1995 - Draw
- Australia vs West Indies at Melbourne, 1996 - West Indies won by 6 wickets
- South Africa vs India at Durban, 1996 - South Africa won by 328 runs
- Zimbabwe vs England at Harare, 1996 - Draw
- Australia vs South Africa at Melbourne, 1997 - Draw
- New Zealand vs India at Wellington, 1998 - New Zealand won by 4 wickets
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 1998 - England won by 12 runs
- South Africa vs West Indies at Durban, 1998 - South Africa won by 9 wickets
- New Zealand vs West Indies at Wellington, 1999 - New Zealand won by inns & 105 runs
- Australia vs India at Melbourne, 1999 - Australia won by 180 runs
- South Africa vs England at Durban, 1999 - Draw
- New Zealand vs Zimbabwe at Wellington, 2000 - Draw
- Australia vs West Indies at Melbourne, 2000 - Australia won by 352 runs
- South Africa vs Sri Lanka at Durban, 2000 - Draw
- New Zealand vs Bangladesh at Wellington, 2001 - New Zealand won by inns & 74 runs
- Australia vs South Africa at Melbourne, 2001 - Australia won by 9 wickets
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 2002 - Australia won by 5 wickets
- South Africa vs Pakistan at Durban, 2002 - South Africa won by 10 wickets
- New Zealand vs Pakistan at Wellington, 2003 - Pakistan won by 7 wickets
- Australia vs India at Melbourne, 2003 - Australia won by 9 wickets
- South Africa vs West Indies at Durban, 2003 - South Africa won by inns & 65 runs
- Australia vs Pakistan at Melbourne, 2004 - Australia won by 9 wickets
- South Africa vs England at Durban, 2004 - Draw
- Australia vs South Africa at Melbourne, 2005 - Australia won by 184 runs
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 2006 - Australia won by inns & 99 runs
- South Africa vs India at Durban, 2006 - South Africa won by 174 runs
- Australia vs India at Melbourne, 2007 - Australia won by 337 runs
- South Africa vs West Indies at Gqeberha, 2007 - West Indies won by 128 runs
- Australia vs South Africa at Melbourne, 2008 - South Africa won by 9 wickets
- Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka at Mirpur, 2008 - Sri Lanka won by 107 runs
- Australia vs Pakistan at Melbourne, 2009 - Australia won by 170 runs
- South Africa vs England at Durban, 2009 - England won by inns & 98 runs
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 2010 - England won by inns & 157 runs
- South Africa vs India at Durban, 2010 - India won by 87 runs
- Australia vs India at Melbourne, 2011 - Australia won by 122 runs
- South Africa vs Sri Lanka at Durban, 2011 - Sri Lanka won by 208 runs
- Australia vs Sri Lanka at Melbourne, 2012 - Australia won by inns & 201 runs
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 2013 - Australia won by 8 wickets
- South Africa vs India at Durban, 2013 - South Africa won by 10 wickets
- New Zealand vs Sri Lanka at Christchurch, 2014 - New Zealand won by 8 wickets
- Australia vs India at Melbourne, 2014 - Draw
- South Africa vs West Indies at Gqeberha, 2014 - Draw
- Australia vs West Indies at Melbourne, 2015 - Australia won by 177 runs
- South Africa vs England at Durban, 2015 - England won by 241 runs
- Australia vs Pakistan at Melbourne, 2016 - Australia won by inns & 18 runs
- South Africa vs Sri Lanka at Gqeberha, 2016 - South Africa won by 206 runs
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 2017 - Draw
- South Africa vs Zimbabwe at Gqeberha, 2017 - South Africa won by inns & 120 runs
- New Zealand vs Sri Lanka at Christchurch, 2018 - New Zealand won by 423 runs
- Australia vs India at Melbourne, 2018 - India won by 137 runs
- South Africa vs Pakistan at Centurion, 2018 - South Africa won by 6 wickets
- Australia vs New Zealand at Melbourne, 2019 - Australia won by 247 runs
- South Africa vs England at Centurion, 2019 - South Africa won by 107 runs
- New Zealand vs Pakistan at Mt. Maunganui, 2020 - New Zealand won by 101 runs
- Australia vs India at Melbourne, 2020 - India won by 8 wickets
- South Africa vs Sri Lanka at Centurion, 2020 - South Africa won by inns & 45 runs
- Australia vs England at Melbourne, 2021 - Australia won by inns & 14 runs
- South Africa vs India at Centurion, 2021 - India won by 113 runs
- Australia vs South Africa at Melbourne, 2022 - Australia won by inns & 182 runs
- Pakistan vs New Zealand at Karachi, 2022 - Draw
We can see a total of 79 Test matches getting started on Boxing Day starting from 1961.
