Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
