Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you like the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, advantage when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
