It was pink all the way

It was a sea of pink at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) last Saturday, 5 January, celebrating Jane McGrath Day. Pink shirts, pink hats and caps were most visible right round the ground. This year was special since it marked the 10th anniversary of the Pink Test which is held to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation to provide breast cancer support nurses around Australia to assist and comfort those dealing with the disease.

The foundation was started in 2005, following Australian cricketer Glen McGrath’s wife Jane’s initial diagnosis with breast and bone cancer. She went into remission, but the cancer returned and she died in 2008, aged 42. The foundation work continues and it has helped to increase education and awareness of breast cancer while providing the nurses’ service.

This year’s target was to raise an ambitious $1.3 million during this year’s Pink Test – triple the previous year’s goal. That’s the amount of money needed to fund 10 McGrath breast care nurses for an entire year and provide free support to 1,000 families struggling with breast cancer.

The first thing the spectators noticed as they walked in to the SCG on the first day of the Australia-England Fifth Ashes Test 2018 was the pink wickets. As the day progressed volunteers clad in pink shirts and caps carrying tills and distributing promotional material began to appear. This year pink scarfs were given to every donor irrespective of how much was given. A good portion of the 35,000 spectators on the first day were seen wearing the scarfs creating a pink environment all over the huge stadium. 

The Sydney Pink Test has become the iconic centrepiece of the friendship between Cricket Australia and McGrath Foundation.

“I think back to the first [Pink Test in 2009], to think we’d still be here after 10 years is absolutely incredible, the support we’ve received has been amazing,” Glen McGrath said.

To mark the 10th Pink Test, the Australian team donned pink caps at the SCG on the first day of the match alongside McGrath and posed for a photograph. Each player autographed the cap just before the game started on Saturday, they came in line and handed over the caps to Glen McGrath to be auctioned and raise funds. The England team did the same and their gesture was highly appreciated by everyone.

The two field umpires (one was Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena) wore a pink band round their hats. 

The Pink Test is not limited to Ashes Series. Last year it was the Test between Australia and Pakistan. Commenting on the goal set every year for the Pink Day, Glen McGrath said: “Each year we like to set ourselves a bit of a goal as to what we’d like to achieve out of the Sydney Test. So we’ve set ourselves a fairly lofty goal, but the support we get each year just keeps getting better and better.”

McGrath said he hoped his own family was a symbol of hope for cancer patients and their families.

“It’s a special day, it’s a positive day, my family come down from the bush as well,” he said. “I think it’s a great legacy — especially for James and Holly, my two elder children, with what their mum’s created. They always look forward to it … they’ve still got pictures of their mum by their bed, and talk about Jane quite a bit.

“Sarah (McGrath’s second wife) has been brilliant in that respect, accepting that and coming in and taking over that role”, he added.

Because the first three days of the Sydney Test were sold out, the McGrath Foundation organised Pink Picnics on day three at the Sydney Football Stadium, where adults and families could buy tickets to watch the cricket on a big screen, with a pink picnic rug and picnic hamper provided and live entertainment.