Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
