Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the strip is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet significance can be found in them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
