Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the investment committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet value can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the end of the format at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
