Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a success.
You might not appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, advantage when batters responded, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – neither ideal, yet value can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
