Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and responding effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be found in both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
