Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not like the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, impetus when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
