In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be found in both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players delivered for him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
