In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit worn by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
