Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the pitch which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, impetus when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
