In a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a success.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – neither the standard, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
