Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a triumph.
You might not like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and responding appropriately. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the attack excelled, impetus when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
