In a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and responding appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
