Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by recognized players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
