Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the MCG rests a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a success.
It's possible you like the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
