Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a triumph.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
