Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the time committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by recognized batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
