Shane Warne, Nathan Lyon and the 2010 Ashes: The best (and worst!) Boxing Day Test moments
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Australian cricket may be struggling with low crowds and dwindling interest in all three formats, but Boxing Day Test always delivers guaranteed drama.
There can be no doubt about it, the five-day match at the MCG is one of the biggest sporting events of the year and a bucket-list moment for cricketers the world over.
And there is reason for Boxing Day Test’s reputation as one of the most iconic matches on the cricket calendar, as it has served up countless memorable moments that have stood the test of time.
Here, sports mail looks back at some of the best and worst moments of the Boxing Day Test, from an Australian perspective.
The Boxing Day Test is just around the corner. Sportsmail revisits some of the best moments
Better
Warne’s 700 wicket
Where else to start? Truly, Shane Warne deserves two mentions on this list: with his hat-trick against England in 1994, one of the many memorable moments that make up the spin king’s rich tapestry of cricket.
But it was Boxing Day 2006 that resonates most when discussing Warne and the MCG, when the Melbournen became the first bowler in Test history to take 700 wickets.
Boxing Day 2006 evokes fond memories after Shane Warne collected his 700th Test wicket
The King of Spin ended his wonderful career with a special moment at the MCG
It was such a moving moment. Earlier in the week, after the Ashes series had concluded in Perth, Warne confirmed his retirement from Test cricket. So, arriving in Melbourne for his final Boxing Day Test, Warne’s haul stood at 699 wickets.
England captain Andrew Flintoff sent his team to bat on opening day, meaning there was almost a full in the ‘G to see Warne target No 700.
At 47, the King of Spin stepped up and duly delivered, executing a beautiful leg break past Andrew Strauss and crashing into the stumps.
And they can’t catch it! Mark Taylor roared as Warne ran across the lawn in celebration. A perfect moment.
Good Garry!
Cards on the table, this participant has not earned his place based on sporting merits or individual brilliance, but it is a cult moment that always pervades a smile.
Just one two-word sentence, yelled by the towering Matthew Wade behind stumps in 2016, resonated with legions of Australian fans and left Nathan Lyon with an immovable new nickname.
“Nice Garry!”
Nice Garry! by Nathan Lyon. wicket sent the MCG to rapture against Pakistan in 2016
The catchphrase, picked up by the tip microphone, was broadcast to millions of homes across the country in a test match earlier in the summer. Wade, of course, was referring to AFL legend and broadcaster Garry Lyon.
Social media quickly latched on to Wade’s motivating words and ‘Good Garry!’ It became a viral phenomenon. A Facebook event that urged everyone to shout the phrase at the third ball of their first Boxing Day test resulted in 20,000 people clicking ‘attend’ or ‘interested’.
And if Lyon had to write how the third ball of their first over would unfold, this would be it.
On the third ball of their first over, Lyon dismissed Sami Aslam to cheers of ‘Nice Garry!’
Steve Smith handed him the ball, Lyon handed a peach and drew Sami Aslam to a shot. Instead of putting the ball up the middle, he hit the edge of his bat and it passed safely into the hands of the Australia captain.
The crowd, unsurprisingly, was thrown into chaos and the cheers of ‘Nice Garry’ echoed throughout the MCG.
Scott Boland’s magic against England
Boland has six in the ‘G! Build man a statue!
On December 28, 2021, Australia retained The Ashes at the MCG, but that wasn’t the main takeaway from the game in Melbourne.
No, it was the magic spell Scott Boland cast over one of cricket’s most iconic stadiums.
Scott Boland’s magical six-wicket haul will never be forgotten as a great Boxing Day moment
From domestic cricket official to Ashes hero, Boland has written his name in history.
From official domestic cricketer to devastating bowler and Ashes winner, Boland’s 6-7 did a lot more for Australian cricket than just keep the small urn going.
Prior to Boland’s inclusion in the MCG squad, only one player of Indigenous descent (Jason Gillespie) represented Australia in Test cricket in 145 years.
His rise to the Test arena was not expected, but at the age of 33, Boland has taken the plunge and is delivering for his country.
Worst
England retains the 2010 Ashes
If you’re an English cricket fan and you’ve gotten to this point, well done, things are starting to look better.
In truth, there have not been many Boxing Day Test moments that Australians wanted to shy away from, such is their rich history of success on the MCG.
But the 2010-11 Ashes series sends nightmarish chills through Australian fans.
The MCG has been a stronghold for Australia, but the castle was looted by England in 2010
The tourists put on one of their best away performances to defeat Australia at home.
It was the beginning of the end for Ricky Ponting after Australia failed to recapture the Ashes.
Twelve years ago, an away team led by Andrew Strauss delivered one of England’s greatest performances on Australian soil by utterly destroying their arch-rivals in four days.
Heading into the penultimate Test in Melbourne, the series was well positioned at 1–1, and Strauss elected to line up first after winning the toss.
It turned out to be a wonderful decision, as the Australians were bowled out for 98 before Strauss and Alastair Cook finished the day with an unbeaten standing of 157 runs.
The tourists went on to secure a commanding victory by an innings and 157 runs, thus clinching the Ashes. Performing the ‘sprinkler’ celebration in front of the Nutty Army, the rest of the MCG was unsurprisingly deserted.
murali without ball
The Boxing Day Test really does have a thing for spinners. Like Lyon, Muttiah Muralitharan has followed two words every time he played in Australia.
‘NO BALL!’
In 1995, Sri Lanka was touring Australia and Murali, who had already played 22 Tests by that time, stepped up to bowling at the MCG.
Muttiah Muralitharan enjoyed a remarkable career, but had a terrible time in the ‘G in 1995
But despite his decent experience and prodigious talent status, that didn’t stop Australian umpire Darrell Hair from no-balling him no less than seven times in three overs due to his unique action.
Later in the Test series, Murali’s action was challenged again and forced an ICC rule change.
It was obviously a moment of horror for him, but Murali didn’t fare too badly after that summer, etching his name in history by taking the most wickets in Test history, with 800 hairs.
indian humiliation
What has made Australia the cricket powerhouse that it undoubtedly is, has been its relentless ability to put the pedal to the metal when in a position of dominance, applying such a hard squeeze that there is no escape for their rivals.
So when the Aussies defeated India by 36 in Adelaide just 10 days before the 2020 Boxing Day Test, more embarrassment was expected for the Indians.
India bounced back from being knocked out for 36 in Adelaide to beat Australia on Boxing Day
What’s more, superstar batsman Virat Kohli made a hasty exit from Australia after the defeat at Adelaide Oval, with fans and pundits giving the tourists no chance of a miraculous turnaround.
But Ajinkya Rahane was not deterred by the outward pessimism. The stand-in captain’s superb 112 runs in the first innings put daylight between his side and the Australians, before Jasprit Bumrah’s superb bowling meant India needed to chase down just 70 runs to secure a famous victory.
And it was Rahane who led India to victory, scoring 27 to secure a six wicket victory. That Boxing Day test triumph fueled the tourists, who scored another shock victory at the Gabba to wrap up a series win and send Australia to one of the worst summers on living memory.