Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
