Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the attack surged, impetus when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – both are not the standard, yet value can be found in both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
