Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
