For a while, Boxing Day 2025 felt like a re-enactment of Boxing Day 2010. You had England choosing to bowl on a cloudy morning and finishing off the hosts in time for an early tea. In 2010, England owned the day, a Jimmy Anderson swing masterclass ripping out a paralysed middle order, Chris Tremlett lopping off top and tail like a légumier preparing string beans. That’s why the Boxing Day crowd in 2010 sat in shellshocked silence at the change of innings: the danger of a series loss stared 84,000 attendees in the face. The heartbreaker for Australia in 2010 wasn’t the 98 all out on day one, it was the 157 without loss that followed it by stumps.

Source: The Guardian December 26, 2025 17:49 UTC