In a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
