Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a success.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
