In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create music 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 outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, advantage when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
