Why Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test is in limbo after Cricket Australia opened the door to moving the famous match to a new venue
- Other states want to organize Boxing Day cricket Test
- Performed at Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1980
- Sydney could also lose the New Year’s Test at SCG
The future of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne is in limbo due to an ongoing standoff between Cricket Australia and the Victorian government.
The development comes as Victoria remains the only state government not to agree on a six-year deal with cricket’s governing body, starting for the 2025-26 season, when England next tour Australia as part of the Ashes.
One minister has privately accused Cricket Australia of using the delay as deliberate “leverage” during the protracted negotiations, the report said. Sydney Morning Herald.
It was previously reported that Cricket Australia is refusing to lock Melbourne and Sydney into their historic slot as host venues for Test matches after this season, stating there is a ‘good runway to look at our future content’.
Other states, such as Western Australia and South Australia, have made annual fuss over the potential poaching of both the Boxing Day Test from the MCG and the New Year’s Test from the SCG, declaring that no one should have a stranglehold on the blockbusters.
Melbourne, host of future Boxing Day Tests, is in limbo due to an ongoing standoff between Cricket Australia and the Victorian government (pictured, Australian captain Pat Cummins after taking a wicket against South Africa in the 2022 Boxing Day match )
The Boxing Day Test has been held at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1980 (Photo: The huge crowd at the 2017 Test)
Although CA planning boss Peter Roach said they ‘place great weight on historic matches’, the quest to maximize audiences and revenue will play a key role in the final outcome.
“We think historic matches carry a lot of weight because it encourages continued attendance and continued support, but we have not committed to any venues for the next few years,” Roach told reporters.
“We historically take it one year at a time. We now have a catwalk where we can look at the best outcome for the next seven or eight years for all our locations.
“We can work with our venues, our governments and our state associations to thoroughly plan ahead.
“We see it because there’s huge competition for our, I think, great content, which is great.
“We know we have great content to bring back to the United States year after year.”
The Victorian government is also facing a debt crisis, with net debt expected to rise to $187.8 billion by June 2028.
A proposed MCG redevelopment will also take at least four years.