There aren’t many things that are sacred to Australians. We are a secular nation - therefore, with the exception of Christmas and Easter, our calendar is not dominated by religious events.

We are a nation that was formed by committee, not by fighting a war of liberation or independence. The closest we come to remembering great battles is ANZAC Day, commemorating a military debacle in World War One.

The things we do hold dear – surprise, surprise – are our major sporting dates. The first Tuesday in November is for the horse race that stops the nation, Melbourne Cup day. The last Saturday in September is always the AFL Grand Final day. And in cricket, there are always Test matches that start on Boxing Day and January 2.

'Without tradition and ritual, Test cricket is just a bunch of silly, grown men playing an excessively long game when they could be on the beach drinking beer'


Now that bastion of stupidity, the ICC, is considering taking these last two iconic dates of the Australian calendar. The move apparently comes at the secret behest of the South Africans, supported by the West Indies. You have to admire the courage of nations that are too afraid to approach these things in the open. But, true to form and in keeping with all of their other idiotic adventures, the ICC have formed yet another secret committee to review the issue behind closed doors.

No doubt, the recommendation will come down that Australia will lose its exclusive call on these two days in the latest example of punishing the nation for its dominance of world cricket. The depths to which the jealousy runs is both staggering and sickening. There is also little doubt that there will be a kickback for the ICC somewhere in this process.

The tradition of the Boxing Day Test goes back to 1950, when Australia played England. Since then, there have been gaps where a game has not taken place, but over time the tradition has grown stronger. Like it or not, these things matter. Tradition matters. Imagine if you took tradition and ritual away from any of the major religions, they would be hardly recognisable.