Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a triumph.
You might not like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square 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 made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
