Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the MCG rests a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the time made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
