Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks 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 craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be found in each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
