Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the format at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
