Within a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
