Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
You might not like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, impetus when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
