Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adapting effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans 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 festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the attack excelled, impetus when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be found in them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
