In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, momentum when players fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team responded for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
