Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
