In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets being taken 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 lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adapting effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
