Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the time made in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
