Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which produced a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the time committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
