In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
