In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
