Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and responding effectively. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
