In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the time made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack dominated, impetus when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
