Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink outfit worn by the entertainer. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be found in each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
