Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the time committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up 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 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack surged, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet significance can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
