Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adjusting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
