Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a electric pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adapting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, momentum when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not perfect, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
