Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink outfit worn by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions 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
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players protected him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
