Australia have won 64, lost 32 and drawn 17 in 113 Test matches played at Melbourne Cricket Ground where they play the third Test match of the Ashes series against England from Sunday (December 26).
England, on the other hand, have won 20, lost 28 and drawn eight in 56 Test matches played at this ground. England will take on Australia in the traditional Boxing Day Test - but at 2-0 down in the Ashes series, they face an uphill battle.
Each year, the Melbourne Cricket Ground plays host to a new Test on Boxing Day. This has become a world-famous part of cricket tradition known as the Boxing Day Test.
The Boxing Day Test is a long-established tradition and a fixture of the annual cricket calendar. It takes place at Melbourne Cricket Ground every year on Boxing Day.
There is a long history of Boxing Day Test cricket in Melbourne. In 1950, the Melbourne Test between Australia and England was played from December 22nd to 27th, with the fourth day’s play on Boxing Day.
In the 1974-75 Ashes series, the Melbourne Test - the third in that series - started on Boxing Day, marking the birth of the modern Boxing Day Test tradition. Every year since 1980, a Test match has started on Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Australia have won 24, lost 11 and drawn nine in 44 Tests matches started on Boxing Day since 1980. Australia have won two, lost two and drawn one in the last five Test matches played at this ground.
They beat Pakistan and New Zealand and lost both matches against India. The Test match in
2017, against England ended in a draw.
ENGLAND-AUSTRALIA AT MELBOURNE
(Team - M - W - L - D - Success%)
Australia - 113 - 64 - 32 - 17 - 64.15;
England - 56 - 20 - 28 - 8 - 42.85.
HIGHEST INNINGS TOTALS
Australia: 624/8 dec in 142 overs vs Pakistan in 2016-17;
England: 589 in 190.5 overs vs Australia in 1911-12.
LOWEST INNINGS TOTALS
Australia: 83 in 48.4 overs vs India in 1980-81;
England: 61 in 31.2 overs vs Australia in 1903-04; 61 in 15.4 overs vs Australia in 1901-02.
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES
Australia: 307 by Bob Cowper vs England in 1965-66;
England: 244* by Alastair Cook vs Australia in 2017-18.
BEST BOWLING IN AN INNINGS
Australia: 9/121 by Arthur Mailey vs England in 1920-21;
England: 8/68 by Wilfred Rhodes vs Australia in 1903-04.
BEST BOWLING IN A MATCH
Australia: 13/77 by Monty Noble vs England in 1901-02;
England: 15/124 by Wilfred Rhodes vs Australia in 1903-04.
