Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
