Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adapting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
