Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
