In a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the investment made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, impetus when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players protected him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
