Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
