Within a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a success.
You might not like his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the time made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players protected him, restoring the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
