Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, impetus when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
