Rare Boxing Day draws and MCG centurions

1 Boxing Day Tests in Australia that have ended without a decisive result since 1998. The last match between India and the hosts in 2014 ended in a draw, but the 16 Tests before that had produced a result. Among the 36 venues that have hosted at least 10 Tests in this period, the MCG is one of only four venues which has produced just one draw.

2 Defeats for Australia in Boxing Day Tests since 2000. They lost to South Africa in 2008 by nine wickets and to England during the2010-11 Ashes by an innings and 157 runs.

1998 The last time a Boxing Day Test was not won by a margin of an innings, more than 100 runs or by six or more wickets. Australia lost by 12 runs to England in the 1998-99 Ashes Test. Since then in the 15 matches that have had results, three were innings wins, six were by more than 100 runs, four were nine-wicket wins, one by eight wickets and one by five wickets.

3 Centuries scored in the last Boxing Day Test - Steven Smith 192, Virat Kohli 169 and Ajinkya Rahane 147. In the five matches prior to that, there were only four centuries in all, but 30 fifties. The 2014 Test was also the first time since 1975 that two visiting batsmen scored centuries in the same match at the MCG. From 2005 to 2013, only two centuries were scored by visiting batsmen - 166 by JP Duminy in 2008 and 168 not out by Jonathan Trott in 2010.

29.79 Runs per wicket in Tests at the MCG, the lowest in Australia on any ground except the TIO Stadium in Darwin which has hosted just two Tests. It is also the second-lowest among all Test venues that have hosted at least 30 Tests. Only at Headingley in Leeds, the average runs per wicket is slightly lower - 29.77. Since 2000, only three other venues have a lower average runs per wicket than MCG's 31.41.

1 Number of Australian players from the current squad who have a Test century at the MCG - Steven Smith (192 against India). But in his other four innings, Smith has been ordinary, with scores of 6, 38, 19 and 14.

8 Number of times a team has been all out for less than 100 runs in the first innings of a Test in Australia. Incidentally, four of those instances have been at the MCG and the last was also at this venue, when England bundled Australia for 98 runs in the Boxing Day Test of 2010.

30.36 Fast bowlers' average at the MCG since 2000, the second best among all Australian grounds. The MCG has been the best ground for fast bowlers in Australia since its inception.

3.16 Run rate at the MCG since 2005, the lowest among all 18 venues that have hosted at least 10 Tests in this period.

7 Tests lost by West Indies in 2015 so far. If they lose this Boxing Day Test as well, it will equal their most Test defeats suffered in a year. West Indies have just one win in nine Tests this year. In the previous four years, they won at least two Test matches.

2000 Last time West Indies and Australia played a Test against each other at the MCG. Australia won that contest by 352 runs. The venue has never been very productive for West Indies, who have won just three out of 14 matches here, losing 10.