Pakistan’s next appearance at the MCG after the India-Pakistan clash on 23rd October will be in December 2023 for the annual iconic Boxing Day Test the ground hosts unless Pakistan qualify for the final of the current ICC Twenty20 World Cup finals being played out across Australia.
This will be a World Test Championship fixture for the 2023-2025 cycle and one of the three Tests in the newly named Qadir-Benaud Trophy that Australia will be defending.
Pakistan last played a Test Match in Melbourne in December 2016 where they were beaten by an innings. Nonetheless, Azhar Ali scored 205* in the fixture and Pakistan posted an impressive first innings total of 443-9 in what was a stop start innings due to consistent rain interruptions over the first 3 days. One wonders whether Azhar will still be around to return then given he will be approaching 39 when Pakistan return to the “G” for a Test Match.
Babar Azam’s men will be hoping to be “ICC World Test Champions” for their Boxing Day fixture next December by qualifying for and winning the ICC World Test Championship final at the Kennington Oval in early June of that year. If Pakistan can be holding the Test mace before they travel to Australia for the “main summer” home Test series they host in their 2023-2024 international summer, that will really help raise the profile of Pakistan’s visit that summer, especially if Pakistan meet and beat Australia in the final of the WTC prior to that tour.
Pakistan have been clean swept in their last five Test tours of Australia. However, the MCG was the ground where Pakistan won their first and only World Cup title to date in Imran Khan’s final international appearance for Pakistan on 25th March 1992 when they defeated England by 22 runs. Pakistan also won a one day international at the MCG in January 2017 under the leadership of stand-in Captain Mohammad Hafeez in a series they would go on to lose 4-1.
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