🏏 The Story

One hundred and fifty years, one ground

Test cricket did not begin as a grand project. It began as a touring match in Melbourne in March 1877, and it has been measured in fifty-year steps ever since.

Melbourne Cricket Ground, March 1877

1877 — The First Test

In March 1877 a combined Australian XI played James Lillywhite's touring English professionals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The match was not billed as a 'Test' at the time — the label was applied retrospectively — but it is now recognised as Test cricket's starting point.

Charles Bannerman faced the first delivery and went on to make the first Test century, retiring hurt on 165. Australia won by 45 runs, a margin that would echo a century later.

The fixture established the pattern that still defines the format: two innings each, no time limit imposed by television, and a contest measured in sessions rather than moments.

Ground: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Result: Australia won by 45 runs
First century: Charles Bannerman, 165 retired hurt

Melbourne Cricket Ground, March 1977

1977 — The Centenary Test

The Centenary Test brought hundreds of former Australian and England Test cricketers back to Melbourne for a single celebratory fixture in March 1977.

The cricket matched the occasion. Derek Randall's 174 carried England's chase deep into the final day before Australia won by 45 runs — precisely the margin of 1877.

It remains the template for what a commemorative Test can be: heritage staged properly, with a live contest at its centre rather than an exhibition.

Ground: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Result: Australia won by 45 runs
Defining innings: Derek Randall, 174

Melbourne Cricket Ground, 11–15 March 2027

2027 — The Jubilee Test

March 2027 marks 150 years since the first Test match. Cricket Australia has confirmed a day-night pink-ball Australia v England Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from 11–15 March 2027.

Ticketing was managed by a public ballot that has now closed, with more than 125,000 tickets sold. Any remaining availability will be released through official Cricket Australia channels.

The story remains the same: 1877, 1977, 2027 — three Melbourne Marches, fifty years apart, on the same square of turf.

Ground: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Dates: 11–15 March 2027
Format: Day-night Test — pink ball

Keep reading

Go deeper into the archive

Our history library expands each of these events into dedicated articles, with famous innings, bowling spells and records.

Test cricket history library The 2027 Test