Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players protected him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
