Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a success.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core 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 varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and responding appropriately. The best individual innings were made by recognized players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, impetus when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
