The 5th and final Test match of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 between Australia and India will not only include thriller and excitement of the best level but it will also be remembered for a noble cause. The new year’s Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will be a pink Test match as Australian players display their pink caps in the team photograph at the SCG- a change from their traditional green-coloured Test caps.
What is the Pink Test?
Pink Test started in the year 2009 when Australian legend Glenn McGrath’s wife Jane McGrath passed away in the year 2008 due to breast cancer. McGrath had founded the ‘Glenn McGrath Foundation’ in 2005 to support breast cancer patients monetarily and raise awareness about the disease. The foundation partnered with Cricket Australia that year to achieve its objectives and it has been a tradition since then. According to the foundation’s website, the Pink Test has raised over $22 billion to support cancer patients and survivors.
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3 memorable Pink Test matches Australia played at the SCG
(3) Australia vs South Africa (2009)
The first Pink Test was memorable in the regard that it was the beginning of the partnership between Cricket Australia and the Glenn McGrath Foundation. But beyond that, the match was action-packed with 5 days of elite Test cricket action between two of the finest cricket playing nations on the globe. The South Africans arrived in Sydney after defeating the mighty Aussies in WACA and Melbourne clinching an invincible 2-0 lead in the 3-match Test series.
The Australians started the match in a splendid fashion adding a total of 445 runs in their first innings. An emphatic century from Michael Clarke was instrumental in helping Australia reach a mammoth total. South Africa in response were bowled out for 327 runs giving the home side a lead of 118 runs. Determined to set a respectable total, the Aussies declared their innings at 257 runs for the loss of 4 wickets giving Proteas a target of 376 runs. The South African captain Graeme Smith, who came to bat at No.11 due to a broken left arm faced the pace attack for 29 minutes with Makhaya Ntini but the offensive proved out to be too-much for the Proteas skipper and he gave his wicket away 5 minutes before the end of day’s play to give the home side a consolation win in the series.
(2) Australia vs England (2011)
The Ashes encounter between Australia and England in Sydney is memorable in the sense that it is the only occasion till now that Australia has lost a Pink Test out of the 15 fixtures it has played till now. The English side not only won the clash against the Australians but they humiliated the home side. The Aussies scored 280 runs in their first innings. In response, the visiting side crushed the Australian bowling line-up and made 644 runs batting for 177.5 overs. 3 centuries came in from English batters including a remarkable 189-run knock from Alastair Cook which provided a strong base and centuries from Matt Prior and Ian Bell which helped England reach the gigantic total. Australians in response, succumbed to the pressure easily getting bowled out for a meagre 281 runs. England won the match by an innings and 83 runs.
(1) Australia vs India (2021)
India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia was memorable in many regards. It is now remembered for the famous win at The Gabba. However, India would not have clinched a historic series win had they not performed outrageously to draw the Pink Test at Sydney. Both sides had locked horns and dominated the other once before their encounter in Sydney. Australia hoped that its pace attack would prove detrimental to the Indians. However, the visiting side had plans of their own.
The Aussies had a strong start to the match with the bat scoring 338 runs and bowling India out for 244 to take a lead of 94 runs in the match. In their second innings, the home side further consolidated their lead by declaring their innings on 312/6 giving Indians a huge target of 407 runs. The visiting side, in their second innings, held on with the bat in their quest to save their hopes of winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. Notably, Cheteshwar Pujara continued to bat for a total of 277 minutes and faced 176 balls on the final day of the match to wear out the fixture towards a draw.
