Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the time devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
