In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit worn by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, momentum when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
