Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, impetus when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
