An attendance record for a Test match in Australia was broken at the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024. 350,700 people attended the event over five days, breaking the previous record of 350,534 established in 1937.
When Australia, captained by Sir Donald Bradman, played England in a six-day Test match at the MCG in January 1937, the previous record was set. The MCG has once again accomplished a remarkable milestone in 2024. Cricket fans were drawn to the Boxing Day Test because of India’s enormous fan base and the big stakes of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Given that the current Test format lasts five days as opposed to six in Bradman’s time, the accomplishment is all the more noteworthy.
The Boxing Day Test was sure to attract big numbers from the start. With a record-breaking attendance of 87,242, the largest single-day crowd ever for an India Test match in Australia, Day 1 set the tone. It was the biggest third-day turnout for a Boxing Day Test since 1937, with 85,147 on Day 2 and 83,073 on Day 3. The total at the end of Day 4 was 299,329, and 43,867 fans were present.
Day 5, which is usually the least attended, witnessed an unexpected 51,371 people, shattering the previous record and increasing the total attendance to 350,700. There were 66,208 people in the stadium by the second session on the last day.
This kind of crowd was unexpected by the MCG: Tom Morrison, an Australian journalist
The management of the MCG was unable to handle the tremendous demand, even allowing public parking in Yarra Park. On social media, Australian journalist Tom Morrison detailed the events at the location.
“Neither CA nor the MCG anticipated such a large audience. In addition to security to open all levels, they are rushing to acquire food and drinks for the anticipated 75k people. Ice cream is their main focus, and they are bringing in as many as they can. Morrison commented, “Unreal atmosphere,” on X.
India’s impressive performances at the MCG during the 2022 T20 World Cup, where over 90,000 spectators watched their match against Pakistan, were also compared to the attendance record. In the meantime, the visitors need to score 245 runs in at least 48 overs to win this match. The hosts would need to take seven more wickets to defeat the Rohit Sharma-led team if they wanted to win the series 2-1.
India
