Within a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a triumph.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea 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 still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and responding appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, thousands made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
