Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
