In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
