In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the time committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands made noise and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
