In a glass case on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic 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 music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack surged, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
