In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, impetus when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet value can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
