Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a success.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and responding appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack excelled, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be found in both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
