Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
