Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the time made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
