In a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and responding accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, momentum when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
