In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not enjoy the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the time committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and responding appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by recognized stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
