Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
