Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by recognized stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
