Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
