In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by recognized stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when batters fought back, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players protected him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
