In a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink suit worn by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another short match of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
