In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit worn by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when players responded, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players protected him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
