Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a triumph.
You might not appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core 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 rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and responding appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
