Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, 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 qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the time made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and responding effectively. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
