In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, impetus when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet significance can be found in each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
