Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a success.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, momentum when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
