Within a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form 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 grind, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
