Of Australian team and its tradition of get-togethers

Families do keep elite sportsmen grounded in every sense of the world.

Twenty-four hours prior to the start of a high-octane Boxing Day Test, the gargantuan MCG resembled an annual function of a nursery school, with families of Australian cricketers joining them for a customary stroll of the G and savour the traditional Turkey roast.

There was Pat Cummins' wife Becky and Mitch Marsh's better half Greta, and they were seen enjoying some light moments along with their children.

Steve Smith had his father Peter for company while Andrew McDonald's teenager son Ollie was seen taking throwdowns at an adjacent net alongside Travis Head.