Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be found in both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
