Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. 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 tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
