Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG rests a electric pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adapting effectively. The best individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be found in each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
