Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a success.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Having a thick layer on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet value can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
