Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack excelled, advantage when batters responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be attached to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
