Talk:Boxing Day Test

Events
Someone has introduced a "2006 events" section, which is fine, but begs the inclusion of notable events for all of the other BD tests, such as Warne's Hat Trick of 94, etc. I'll make a note to get started on it, but feel free to dive in. Manning 01:27, 6 January 2007 (UTC)
 * This is just trivia which isn't notable to the Boxing Day Test itself. These achievements just happened to occur during this particular match. Harr o 5 08:27, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating
This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as stub, and the rating on other projects was brought up to Stub class. BetacommandBot 08:27, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

When did calling it "The Boxing Day Test" really begin?
It certainly wasn't when the first one described in this article happened, in 1950, nor in 1952. There was another very strong "tradition" about scheduling matches (Test and Sheffield Shield) in place until at least the 1960s. To list those earlier matches as "Boxing Day Tests", when nobody called them that at the time, seems a bit odd. Since it's the name of the article, I would like to see some etymology of The Boxing Day Test. HiLo48 (talk) 23:58, 8 December 2010 (UTC)

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Logic problem
The lead tells me the article is about "a cricket Test match held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia involving the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team...", yet it has a section called "Other Boxing Day Tests" about matches that don't fit that definition. That makes no sense. I plan to remove it unless someone can convince me not to. HiLo48 (talk) 23:34, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

Potential change of name?
Now that the new article Boxing Day Test (South Africa) has been created (many thanks to @Gheus for their hard work), should it be appropriate to rename this article to something like "Boxing Day Test (Australia)"?

Secondarily, there is the question of what to do with mentions of Tests in other countries (such as the more irregular New Zealand Boxing Day Tests) -- are these also deserving of their own pages? My first instinct was to keep this page as general as possible, but if we distinguish by country (which I now see as basically sensible) it leaves rather little room for a more general discussion. SamBrev (talk) 18:04, 27 December 2023 (UTC)


 * I agree with renaming this to "Boxing Day Test (Australia)". Three years ago I wrote the section immediately above, titled "Logic problem", but I never got around to carrying out my "threat". I am tempted to do it now. The lead of this article says it's only about Australia. We should stick with that. HiLo48 (talk) 23:31, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I think that there should be just one article about Test matches having play on 26 December (Boxing Day) and then within that separate sections for matches in each country. By my reckoning there are 106 Test matches which have had play on the day - Australia (52 - at MCG 48, Adelaide 3, Sydney 1), South Africa (38 - Durban 14, Johannesburg 13, Port Elizabeth 6, Centurion 5), New Zealand (8 - Wellington 5, Christchurch 2, Mount Maunganui 1), India (4 - Kanpur 1, Delhi 1, Madras 1, Calcutta 1), Pakistan (2 - Karachi 2), Zimbabwe (1 - Harare 1), Bangladesh (1 - Mirpur 1) RossRSmith (talk) 07:33, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
 * But there is a difference. Unlike the others, the event in Melbourne happens every year. It's a fixed element of cricket every summer in Australia. HiLo48 (talk) 08:14, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Only since 1995/96 has it become a "fixed element" of every summer. And, it will depend on what the article is about...is it solely about Test matches in Australia which commence on 26 December ? Or is it about the history of Test matches which include play on that date wherever they occur in the world ? I don't mind either way, but the list of matches in the article must be consistent with the premise upon which it is based. RossRSmith (talk) 11:02, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
 * It's disappointing that you feel you need to ask "is it solely about Test matches in Australia which commence on 26 December?" The first paragraph of the article very explicitly says that it is. HiLo48 (talk) 22:22, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Okay, fair enough. Therefore, the list of matches should reflect that. 1950, 1952, 1984, 1988 and 1994 matches need to be removed as each of them commenced prior to 26 December. Agree ? RossRSmith (talk) 02:02, 29 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes, I agree. HiLo48 (talk) 02:25, 29 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks, . Boxing Day Test in Australia is the primary topic (per WP:COMMONTITLE), so we should keep the title as it is. Having said that, Boxing Day Tests in New Zealand and South Africa are notable events in their own right per WP:GNG, as they have received sufficient coverage. Accordingly, I have created those articles: Boxing Day Test (South Africa), Boxing Day Test (New Zealand) (RE RossRSmith: making it generic would be too confusing as they are clearly separate topics notable in their right). However, we're not sure if the Boxing Day Tests in India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh were intended as Boxing Day Tests. I have removed them, but I won't mind re-adding them if you could cite a third-party source verifying them as such. Gheus (talk) 13:12, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Those Tests are outside the scope of the article as defined in the very first paragraph. HiLo48 (talk) 02:27, 29 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes the name should be changed, but the name change should be to 'Boxing Day Test (Melbourne)' or 'Boxing Day Test (MCG)'. As an Australian (SYD AU) the test is known as the Melbourne (or MCG) Boxing Day Test. The Melbourne venue is the significant element, Melbourne being alone in Australia where the tradition and record crowds could ever have happened, in that peculiarly sports-mad city. The South Africa & NZ Boxing Day tests need to have the country name in the title because the tests has been in different cities - if they had been in one city or venue then their aeticles would be named for the city (or cricket ground).
 * No, please do not amalgamate the articles. That would be very messy and be against the history of the Melbourne (and I suppose other) Boxing Day tests as very local and independent entities and stories.
 * Glenn.mar.oz (talk) 02:20, 4 January 2024 (UTC)