In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a triumph.
You might not appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time made in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
