In a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, advantage when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players responded for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
