In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
