In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the time made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, momentum when batters responded, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
