The MCG felt very Kiwi even before Trent Boult made a mess of Joe Burns' stumps with the fourth ball of the Boxing Day Test.

New Zealand supporters - mostly dressed in either all black, beige or teal - had loudly made themselves known for the first time when captain Kane Williamson won the toss and sent Australia into bat.

New Zealand fans were out in force on Boxing Day, snapping up some 16,000 tickets to the Test. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Some 16,000 New Zealanders had bought tickets to the 2019 Boxing Day Test between their side and Australia, the first time our friends from across the ditch had played on the famous day since 1987.

There were 80,473 at the MCG on day one which was the second biggest non-Ashes Boxing Day Test crowd since 85,661 watched Australia play the West Indies in 1975.