A new attendance record for a Test match in Australia has been set with more than 373,691 passing through the gates at the MCG across the five days of the fourth Test between Australia and India, surpassing the previous mark of 350,534 set in 1937.
Cricket Australia confirmed early on Monday that 51,371 had already come in for the first session of the fifth day to break the record. That crowd swelled to a final tally of 74,362 by late in the afternoon.
The crowd tally meant that more people have attended the 2024 MCG Boxing Day Test than had seen a Sir Donald Bradman-led Australia play England in January 1937 at the same venue, which was played over six days.
The crowds have been absolutely extraordinary for this Test match with daily tallies of 87,242, 85,147, 83,073, 43,867 and 74,362. A day five crowd exceeding day four is unheard of with the Melbourne Cricket Club, who run the MCG, underestimating the number on day five.
They opened Yarra Park outside the ground for general public parking on day five, which is a rarity. But they only had one gate open and it caused a significant traffic choke point prior to play with a number of fans late to get into the ground.
The record numbers follow the huge crowds India attracted at the MCG at the 2022 T20 World Cup when 90,293 saw India play Pakistan and 82,507 watched India play Zimbabwe.