Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a success.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the patience made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and responding accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, impetus when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being 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 genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
