Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
