In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither the standard, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
