In a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
