Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
