# Boxing Day Test (South Africa)

The Boxing Day Test is a traditional cricket match which is held in South Africa annually.

## History

The history of South Africa's Boxing Day Test traces back to 1913, with a match against England in Johannesburg. The tradition became more established after South Africa's return to international cricket in the early 1990s, with the 1992 match against India being a notable milestone.
In 2012, an attempt was made to replace the Test with a T20I format, but it was unsuccessful.
In 2020, the Boxing Test match against Sri Lanka was notably played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 precautions.
On several occasions South Africa has played in Australia's annual Boxing Day Test as the touring side; on such occasions no Boxing Day Test match was held in South Africa.

## Venue

The first modern Boxing Day Test was held at St George's Park Cricket Ground in Port Elizabeth in 1992. Two years later, in 1994, the venue shifted to Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban. Durban's Kingsmead remained the predominant venue for the event until 2011, when the Test was hosted at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town.
In 2018, the venue was shifted to SuperSport Park in Centurion, reflecting changes in preferences and attendance patterns.

## List of Boxing Day Test matches held in South Africa

Boxing Day Test matches held in South Africa :
| Year | Opposition team | Result | Venue |
| 1913 | England | England won by an innings and 12 runs | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg |
| 1922 | England | South Africa won by 168 runs | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg |
| 1927 | England | England won by 10 wickets | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg |
| 1930 | England | South Africa won by 28 runs | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg |
| 1935 | Australia | Match drawn | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg |
| 1938 | England | Match drawn | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg |
| 1949 | Australia | Australia won by an innings and 85 runs | Ellis Park, Johannesburg |
| 1953 | New Zealand | South Africa won by 132 runs | Ellis Park, Johannesburg |
| 1956 | England | England won by 131 runs | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 1957 | Australia | Match drawn | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 1961 | New Zealand | Match drawn | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 1964 | England | Match drawn | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 1966 | Australia | South Africa won by 233 runs | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 1992 | India | South Africa won by 9 wickets | St George's Park, Port Elizabeth |
| 1994 | New Zealand | South Africa won by 8 wickets | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 1995 | England | Match drawn | St George's Park, Port Elizabeth |
| 1996 | India | South Africa won by 328 runs | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 1998 | West Indies | South Africa won by 9 wickets | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 1999 | England | Match drawn | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2000 | Sri Lanka | Match drawn | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2002 | Pakistan | South Africa won by 10 wickets | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2003 | West Indies | South Africa won by an innings and 65 runs | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2004 | England | Match drawn | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2006 | India | South Africa won by 174 runs | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2007 | West Indies | West Indies won by 128 runs | St George's Park, Port Elizabeth |
| 2009 | England | England won by an innings and 98 runs | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2010 | India | India won by 87 runs | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2011 | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka won by 208 runs | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2013 | India | South Africa won by 10 wickets | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2014 | West Indies | Match drawn | St George's Park, Port Elizabeth |
| 2015 | England | England won by 241 runs | Kingsmead, Durban |
| 2016 | Sri Lanka | South Africa won by 206 runs | St George's Park, Port Elizabeth |
| 2017 | Zimbabwe | South Africa won by an innings and 120 runs | St George's Park, Port Elizabeth |
| 2018 | Pakistan | South Africa won by 6 wickets | Centurion Park, Centurion |
| 2019 | England | South Africa won by 107 runs | Centurion Park, Centurion |
| 2020 | Sri Lanka | South Africa won by an innings and 45 runs | Centurion Park, Centurion |
| 2021 | India | India won by 113 runs | Centurion Park, Centurion |
| 2023 | India | South Africa won by an innings and 32 runs | Centurion Park, Centurion |
| 2024 | Pakistan | | Centurion Park, Centurion |

## Overall Record - South Africa vs Visitors

| Opposition Team | GP | W | D | L | Win % | Recent Test |
| Australia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 025.00 | Boxing Day 1966 |
| England | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 023.08 | Boxing Day 2019 |
| India | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 071.43 | Boxing Day 2023 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 066.67 | Boxing Day 1994 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | Boxing Day 2018 |
| Sri Lanka | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 050.00 | Boxing Day 2020 |
| West Indies | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 075.00 | Boxing Day 2014 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | Boxing Day 2017 |
| Total | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 050.00 | Boxing Day 2023 |