Top 5 Boxing Day Tests of all time

1. Australia vs England (1998 at Melbourne)

Dean Headley was sensational in the fourth innings

England went into the fourth Test match at the MCG, trailing 2-0 in the Ashes and needing a quick turnaround to keep the series alive. Mark Taylor of Australia won the toss and elected to field first.

An attractive century by wicketkeeper-batsman Alec Stewart at the top helped England post a score of 270 runs. Australian innings got off to a stuttering start as they lost both the openers with just 26 runs on the board.

A typical Steve Waugh hundred helped the Aussies take a lead of 70 runs. In England’s second innings, fighting fifties from Nasser Hussain and Graeme Hick helped post a target of 175 runs for Australia to claim the Ashes.

Australia looked all set to win the match with the score at 130/3 and needing just 45 runs to win. A stunning collapse then ensued with Dean Headley being the chief architect, picking up 6 wickets. Australia lost the remaining 7 wickets for just 32 runs as England held their nerve to clinch an exciting 12 run win.