To commemorate the 150th anniversary of men’s Test cricket, Cricket Australia has announced that the one-off Test between Australia and England at the MCG in March 2027 will be played as a day-night pink-ball match. The match, which is scheduled for March 11-15, will be the first men’s day-night Test played at the MCG. The MCG recently hosted the women’s day-night Ashes Test. While the inaugural Test in 1877 and the centenary Test in 1977 were both daytime red-ball matches and were also played at the MCG, this historic fixture will be played under floodlights to enable more people to tune in.
Todd Greenberg, CEO of Cricket Australia, stated that the event would be a fitting tribute to the history and development of the sport. “The 150th Anniversary Test at the MCG will be one of the great cricket events and playing under lights will be a fantastic way to celebrate both our game’s rich heritage and Test cricket’s modern evolution.
“It will also help ensure more people are able to attend and watch what will be a fantastic occasion.
“The Centenary Test produced numerous iconic performances, including Derek Randall’s defiant century, Rick McCosker batting with a broken jaw, and David Hookes’ five consecutive boundaries off Tony Greig. I’m sure the 150th Test will produce its own lifelong memories. “We look forward to further celebrating this historic occasion as it draws closer, and this season’s Ashes Series will whet the appetite for this clash in exactly two years.” “We are grateful to the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Victorian Government for their incredible support in hosting this historic Test match.” The match will not be part of the World Test Championship (WTC), but it will be one of the 12 Tests that will be played this season. Three of them will be played in Sri Lanka, three against New Zealand at home, and five will be played in India. Australia will also travel to England for the Ashes and play in the ODI World Cup in South Africa later in the year, adding to the year’s action.
