Within a glass case on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the time committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, advantage when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
