Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the patience made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by world-class players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not perfect, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
