First Tests1877
How the First Test Began
The tour, the timing and the accident of scheduling that gave Melbourne the first Test match.
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1877 → 1977 → 2027
JUBILEE TEST
150 Years of Test Cricket
Australia v England • MCG • Melbourne • March 2027
2027 Test Countdown
Provisional date
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Counting to March 2027 (dates to be confirmed). The countdown target updates automatically once the fixture is officially confirmed.
🏏 The Story
1877 → 1977 → 2027
Three Melbourne Marches, fifty years apart, on the same square of turf. Select an era to follow the thread.
Melbourne Cricket Ground, March 1877
1877 — The First Test
Australia met a touring England side at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the match now recognised as the first Test.
- Ground
- Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Result
- Australia won by 45 runs
- First century
- Charles Bannerman, 165 retired hurt
📅 The 2027 Test
Australia v England, Melbourne
The 150th anniversary fixture. We publish only what has been confirmed, and clearly label everything still provisional.
- Teams
- Australia v EnglandTBC
- Venue
- Melbourne Cricket GroundTBC
- City
- Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Window
- March 2027TBC
- Format
- Test match — details to be confirmedTBC
- Day/night
- Not confirmedTBC
- Tickets
- Not yet on sale — no official on-sale date announcedTBC
Countdown to the Jubilee Test
Provisional date
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Days
--
Hours
--
Mins
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Secs
Counting to March 2027 (dates to be confirmed). The countdown target updates automatically once the fixture is officially confirmed.
🏟️ The Ground
The MCG: older than the format itself
Test cricket's clock starts in Melbourne. Our MCG section covers the ground's cricket history alongside a practical, independent visitor guide.
A ground older than the format
The Melbourne Cricket Ground has been in continuous use since the 1850s, predating Test cricket itself. Its stands have been rebuilt many times over; the oval and its place in the city have not moved.
Home of the first Test
The 1877 match between Australia and England is the reason Melbourne, rather than Lord's, is where Test cricket's clock starts.
The Centenary stage
In 1977 the ground hosted the Centenary Test, gathering surviving Test cricketers from both nations in one place for the first time.
🇦🇺 v 🏴
Australia v England
Two team hubs: history, historic players, famous moments, squads, results and fixtures — all editable as 2027 approaches.
Australia
Test cricket's first winners, and the home side for the Jubilee Test. A hub for Australian Test history, players and fixtures around 2027.
- 1877 — 45 runs
- 1977 — 45 runs again
- Boxing Day
England
The touring side of 1877 and 1977. A hub for England Test history, Ashes moments and the road to a third Melbourne March.
- 1882 — the urn
- 1981 — Headingley
- 1977 — Randall at the MCG
📖 Test History
A searchable library of 150 years
First Tests, the Ashes, famous innings, great bowling spells, historic grounds and records.
6 articles
Famous Innings1877
Bannerman's 165: The First Test Century
One batter made more than two-thirds of his side's first-innings total, then retired hurt.
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Historic Test Matches1977
The Centenary Test: 100 Years, 45 Runs
How the 1977 commemorative Test at the MCG produced an ending no scriptwriter would risk.
Read more →Famous Innings1977
Derek Randall's 174
The innings that took the Centenary Test to a genuine last-day finish.
Read more →Ashes1882
The Birth of the Ashes
A mock obituary, a small urn, and the rivalry that framed the next 140 years.
Read more →Historic GroundsHeritage
The MCG: A Ground Older Than the Format
How a Melbourne oval became the physical home of Test cricket's origin story.
Read more →✈️ Melbourne Fan Guide
Five days of cricket, one great city
Where to stay, how to get around, what to do between sessions — plus a five-day Test itinerary built for visiting fans.
East Melbourne
5–10 min to the MCG
Richmond
10–15 min
CBD
20–25 min
Southbank
25–30 min
Fitzroy
Tram + short walk
South Yarra
Train, one stop
🍺 Fan Guide
Pubs, restaurants, cafés and activities
An independent directory around the MCG and the Melbourne CBD, filterable by distance, category, price and rating.
Pubs
The Jolimont Tap
East Melbourne • 0.4 km
Sample listing: a corner pub within sight of the light towers, packed from stumps.
Pubs
Swan Street Hotel
Richmond • 1.1 km
Sample listing: classic Richmond sports pub with a long bar and longer queues on match days.
Pubs
Wickets & Ale
CBD • 2.2 km
Sample listing: city bar showing every session, good for rain delays.
🛍️ Jubilee Shop
Original 1877 → 1977 → 2027 designs
Memorabilia-inspired apparel, archival-style prints and digital guides. All artwork original to Jubilee Test.
Jubilee Test Tee — 1877 → 1977 → 2027
Heavyweight cotton tee with the three-date arc printed in brass on cricket white.
A$45
Jubilee Test Cap
Six-panel cap in heritage green with a woven original Jubilee Test mark.
A$40
150 Years Poster
A2 archival print charting a century and a half of Test cricket in Melbourne.
A$35
Vintage Scorecard Print
Original artwork inspired by handwritten scorecards of the 1870s.
A$35
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