In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the patience committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
