Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans made noise and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
