In a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel 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 mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the time devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
