Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket 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 because of the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and responding effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when batters responded, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
