The Boxing Day Test has been a yearly tradition since the 1974-75 Ashes series

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones believes that the yearly Boxing Day Test has the ability to become “Australia’s biggest sporting event” if Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council (ICC) market it in the right way.

“We have a great opportunity to make the Boxing Day Test Australia’s biggest sporting event,” Jones wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald. “It could be ranked among the world’s best yearly sporting events if we get our thinking caps on.”

Jones noted that it is every Test cricketer’s dream to play in a Boxing Day Test and the public always turn out in big numbers during all five days.

“Every Test cricketer worth his salt hopes he can one day play in an MCG [Melbourne Cricket Ground] Boxing Day Test,” Jones said. “It is the place where Test cricket started and it is the only Test in the world where the public will come in huge numbers to watch for the whole five days.

“Cricket Australia and the ICC should market and promote the December 26 encounter as the biggest Test of the year. What I mean is that if any country wants to play in the Test, it has to earn its stripes to be there. In other words, countries need to qualify to be invited to play there.”

Jones believes the MCG is one of the best grounds in the world and added that every cricket fan should witness the event at least once before they die.

“I do not have to sell you on the MCG as a sporting venue,” Jones said. “It is simply the best in the world. But the Boxing Day Test as a sporting event has elevated itself to a new level.

“The Boxing Day Test is a bucket-list event that all sporting and cricket fans must attend before they die. It needs some sexy marketing and I believe promoting the Melbourne Test as the “place to be” is what Test cricket may need.”

The former batsman stated that the ICC and Cricket Australia need to find a way to increase the incentive of all countries to want to play in the Boxing Day Test, and he even went as far as suggesting that they have a huge financial reward for the winner of the match.

“Today, not many countries want to play Test cricket,” Jones added. “But if the ICC and Cricket Australia put up, say, 25 million dollar prize money for the winner, that might encourage countries to play more Test cricket throughout the year.

“With the MCG’s magnificent history of 105 Test matches, every cricketer dreams of playing there and making a hundred or getting a bag of wickets.”