In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet value can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
