In a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
