In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the pitch which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
