In a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and responding accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to build on.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
