A dream long-held by Test legend Shane Warne, who advocated for the Boxing Day Test to be a day-night affair, the 150th Anniversary Test will start two years from Tuesday – March 11 to March 15, 2027 – in a landmark day-night showpiece. The match will be the first time men’s Test cricket is played under lights at the MCG following the Women’s Ashes Test held at the iconic venue in January. The MCG was the location of the first Test in 1877 and Centenary Test in 1977 – both of which Australia won by 45 runs. Todd Greenberg from Cricket Australia said the upcoming Ashes series would only whet the appetite for the anniversary event. “The 150th Anniversary Test at the MCG will be one of the great cricket events and playing under lights will be a fantastic way to celebrate both our game’s rich heritage and Test cricket’s modern evolution,” he said. “It will also help ensure more people are able to attend and watch what will be a fantastic occasion. “The Centenary Test created many iconic performances, including David Hookes’s five consecutive boundaries off Tony Greig, Rick McCosker batting with a broken jaw and Derek Randall’s defiant century, and I’m sure the 150th Test will create its own lifelong memories. “This season’s Ashes series will whet the appetite for this clash in exactly two years, and we look forward to celebrating this historic occasion further as it draws nearer. “We are thankful to the Victorian government and the Melbourne Cricket Club for their incredible support to host this momentous Test match.” Warne, who was honoured after his death with the ground’s Southern Stand renamed the Shane Warne Stand, made an annual call for the Boxing Day Test to be played as a pink-ball affair. “It’s easy to say ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. But everything evolves for the better,” he wrote in one of his Herald Sun columns. “I’m all for tradition, I love tradition, but we know that, regardless of the surface in a pink-ball Test, once the game gets to twilight, then night time, the ball reacts. That’s why Melbourne would be perfect for a day/night Test.” Now his wish has been granted. Originally published as Australia will host England in day-night Test match at MCG